Seeds of Rebellion
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When Central 46 is destroyed, Byakuya is trapped with Sousuke Aizen in the ruined prison. The words that pass between them set Byakuya on the dangerous path to uncovering secrets that some would kill to conceal...mpreg.
1. Whispers of one Fallen

**Seeds pf Rebellion**

**By Spunky0ne**

**Chapter 1: Whispers of One Fallen**

"You get what you came here for, Captain Kuchiki?" asked the guard, locking the cell door behind Byakuya as he stepped out into the hallway, "Though I don't know that you could trust a word that bastard says. He's all lies and venom, ne?"

"He is an unpleasant man," Byakuya acknowledged, "but I am satisfied that I was able to finesse what we needed from him."

"Well, that's good."

The guard groaned as a shrill beeping sounded from a device he wore clipped to his belt.

"Damn...another escape attempt," he muttered, "You'll have to excuse me, Captain Kuchiki. I'm needed to subdue a troublesome prisoner. You know your way out though, ne? Just show that pass to the station guards and they'll let you through."

"Arigato, Tsuneo," Byakuya said, nodding.

He watched the guard flash step away, then continued down the passage. He felt a chill inside at being left alone in the cold, dark passageway. _Muken_, the lowest level of the Central 46 prison, housed the most wicked and violent criminals in all of Soul Society. And being the wise person that he was, Byakuya understood that even binding them and sealing away their powers did not make them less dangerous people. Just being in the place that housed them cast a gloomy darkness over the noble's spirits.

He reached the end of the long corridor and started to turn towards the exit. But as he did so, he heard odd sounds coming from another passageway...low voices, several clanking noises, then sounds of someone in pain. He knew, of course, that not all who came to interrogate the prisoners were men of integrity.

_But that kind of behavior violates the tenets of our society. After all, if we forget our humanity, even to force a confession from their lips, what we have is not justice. We have only lowered ourselves._

He moved closer, listening carefully. He counted three distinct voices, in addition to the one that groaned in agony as the others laughed and jeered.

"Not so high and mighty now, ne?" sneered one man.

"Wanted to be king over us all?" said another, "Well, we don't do royalty here!"

"Isn't that what you're _doing_?" a third quipped, "The would-be king? He's almost royalty, ne?"

"Well, I think he'd agree now that almost isn't good enough."

Byakuya approached a cell door that had been left slightly ajar. He peeked through and saw three guards, gathered around a bound prisoner. One knelt at the prisoner's head, his knees holding the bound man's hands down and his fingers sunk into his hair and tightened. A second straddled his body, holding the prisoner in place and his thighs apart as the third guard knelt between them, gripping the man's hips as he thrust into him with brutal force.

Anger flared hotly inside the Kuchiki clan leader, and he stepped into the cell, raising his reiatsu warningly. He took hold of the man between the prisoner's legs, and propelled him backwards across the cell, where he crashed into the wall and dropped to the floor, howling in pain. The other two men froze, staring at Byakuya.

"How _dare_ you!" the noble hissed, his voice cutting like a knife through the chill air, "How dare you insult the honor and reputation of this institution!"

The guards stared back at him, white-faced. The one he had thrown across the room, recovered himself and edged towards the door.

"Why would you defend him?" the guard asked, "He is an awful, wicked, hateful bastard! He murdered the councilors of Central 46 in cold blood and left them lying in the council chambers as he carried on around them. He betrayed us all and tried to overthrow the king! He's not a man at all. He is a demon!"

"And your way of showing that we are above those uncivilized behaviors is by binding and violating him?" Byakuya asked, barely containing his fury, "You are an insult to lawful society. Get out before I give you what you deserve for such behavior!"

The three man exchanged glances, then fled the room.

Byakuya moved forward to where the prisoner laid, unmoving on the floor. He knelt beside the man and slowly unbound him.

"Do not make any attempt to escape, Sousuke Aizen," Byakuya warned the man, "Even unbound, your powers and the powers of that thing in your chest are still sealed away. You will not escape the prison."

"I am aware of that," Aizen replied, lying perfectly still as Byakuya's slender, graceful fingers worked at the heavy leather straps, "In any case, the hougyoku no longer recognizes me as its master. If it could, it would abandon me."

"And it would be wise to do so before you found a way to betray it, as you betray and turn on everyone foolish enough to trust you."

"I never asked anyone to trust me," said Aizen, watching curiously as Byakuya finished loosing his bindings, "They foolishly chose to do so for their own reasons."

He waited as the last of the bindings fell away, then sat up and began to take stock of his injured body. Byakuya moved forward and nudged his yukata open, planning to heal him. He paused, staring, as it struck him that the amount of damage he saw could not have been caused by the three guards.

"You look surprised," said Aizen in a calm, perfectly controlled voice, "Did you think this was the first time those men had loosed their venom on me, Byakuya? Are you really so naive?"

He noticed that Byakuya's dark gray eyes had fastened on the hougyoku, and he gave the noble a wry smile.

"Go ahead. Touch it if you like. It can't use its powers as long as the seal is in place. You are safe enough."

Byakuya stared for a moment longer, then glanced briefly at Aizen's bruised, but proud face. He said nothing, but leaned forward and began to heal the former captain's battered body.

"How very kind of you, Byakuya. I am grateful. It is comforting to know that honor and lawfulness still exist in some men's hearts."

"I am not doing this for you," the noble said, off-handedly, "Those guards had no right to do as they did. For all that you are a prisoner, and the worst criminal in our society, you are still a person. And as such, you should not have been mistreated while serving out your sentence."

Aizen's smile warmed.

"Ah...if only more people felt as you did, then perhaps I wouldn't be in this predicament."

He sighed in relief as Byakuya's hands moved over his body, slowly undoing the damage the guards had done.

"Perhaps, if there were more people like you, I would not have done as I did."

Byakuya frowned and continued the healing.

"My nature did not stop you from using my sister as part of your plans. If indeed it mattered to you that I have better values than some, you might have chosen differently."

Aizen studied him quietly for a moment.

"I have to confess to having used you despite having a sense of your true nature, Byakuya. You see, whatever your personal inclinations are, you are still the leader of the greatest of the noble clans. It was not so much as strike at you as a strike at what you represent."

"I understand that."

"You are an intelligent man."

Byakuya ignored him and continued with the healing. Aizen quieted and watched him closely as his hands moved lower and began to heal the more intimate areas of his body. A slow smirk rose on Aizen's lips as he spotted the soft blush that had risen on the noble's cheeks as he encountered his former colleague's awakening member.

"My apologies," said Aizen in a seductively tranquil voice, "Having been in this place for some time, I have not been in the presence of one as lovely and sweetly scented as you, Byakuya. And although the guards have used me to pleasure themselves, they have neglected to see that I was equally sated."

"Shut up," muttered the noble, avoiding his eyes and working more quickly to get the healing over with.

Aizen chuckled softly.

"I was teasing you, Byakuya."

"Stop calling me that. You will refer to me as Captain Kuchiki. You are no longer a colleague, certainly not a friend, nor even someone I would acknowledge out of politeness."

"But you are kind not to simply let me be tormented by my keepers."

"I despise those who turn to lawlessness to achieve their goals."

"Truly," said Aizen, "So do I."

Byakuya raised a fine eyebrow questioningly.

"Does that surprise you?" Aizen went on, "I think that if you delved a little bit deeper into my world, Byakuya, you would find that we are more alike than you think."

"That is a frightening thought," commented the noble, leaning forward to address a deep cut, "I have no interest in tainting myself by entering 'your world' and I fail to see how I am anything like you, Sousuke Aizen."

"Of course," said the former captain, shifting to a more comfortable position, "I am not particularly enamored of my world, such as it is, either. But we don't get to pick and choose our circumstances, ne Byakuya?"

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"But your given name sounds lovely spoken aloud," Aizen said, smiling charmingly, "I have always thought so, ever since I first encountered you. You were a handsome and very reckless teen back then...before your losses changed you."

"What are you talking about?" Byakuya asked softly, pulling his hands away from the other man's body, but not yet moving to replace his bindings, "If I have changed, it is only because I realized that I must act in ways befitting of my place within the clan."

"Is that so?" Aizen asked, remaining where he was as the healing ended, "I wonder about that."

"Well, I am afraid I must leave you wondering. I have duties to attend to."

He started to pick up the leather bindings, but froze and stared as Aizen's hand touched his.

"A moment, please. They are supposed to allow me to walk the confines of my cell each day, but you can imagine how well they see to that minor comfort for me."

Byakuya frowned, but stood and helped the prisoner to his feet.

"My legs are weakened from lack of use," Aizen said, leaning against Byakuya as he made his way around the cell, "It will take a few minutes to revive them."

Byakuya was inwardly surprised at the flare of anger he felt at seeing the formerly proud man stagger about the edges of the small cell, leaning on the noble's arm to steady himself. He walked alongside Aizen in silence, aware of the man gazing at him out of the corner of an eye, and ignoring it. Finally, Aizen seemed to regain some mobility and let go of his arm. He walked quietly back to the large chair he had been bound to, and sat down, waiting.

"Aren't you going to replace my bindings?" Aizen asked quietly.

"I am sure that your guards can do that," Byakuya said, looking out the door.

The corridor stood empty.

The noble turned back into the cell, shaking his head.

"It seems they have abandoned their posts," he commented.

Aizen laughed softly.

"Because you scared them out of their wits, coming in here like that. But I am rather glad you did. Their treatment of me was...extremely unpleasant. To have escaped it for any length of time is a blessing. I am in your debt."

Byakuya gave him a cryptic look and moved back to his side. He picked up the leather bindings and began to set them back in place.

"You have gentle hands for someone who I know despises me," Aizen commented as Byakuya wrapped the leather straps around him, "Are you sure that you are not attracted to me, Byakuya? You did blush very sweetly when you were looking at me naked."

"Be quiet," the noble said in an annoyed tone.

"You are blushing again," Aizen went on, "Why?"

Byakuya didn't answer, but only continued the work at the bindings. He strapped the man's arms to the armrests and each leg to a chair leg, then worked his way down Aizen's slender torso, binding his body to the long back of the chair. He was careful as he went, to wrap the bindings tightly enough so that Aizen would not escape, but not so tight as to be constricting. He felt flurries of residual anger inside at seeing the dried blood on the straps that indicated that the guards had not been so precise in their efforts. He finished his task and stood, looking down at Aizen.

"Are you acceptably comfortable?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, thank you, Byakuya."

"Then, I will take my leave of you. I will make certain that the guards who assaulted you do not return."

"Well," said Aizen, "Although I do not imagine it will end my torment, I thank you for the kind gesture. Just understand that this kind of corruption is rampant in our society. That is one of the reasons that I felt the need to take action as I did."

"Do not try to rationalize your egregious behavior, Sousuke," Byakuya said reprovingly, "You will convince no one that murdering the councilors of Central 46 was a necessary act, or that betraying those who trusted you was somehow understandable. Those actions were unforgivable."

"I am sure that you believe that very strongly," said the prisoner, "In any case, I am grateful. I hope that you shall pass this way again, Byakuya. You are far more enjoyable company than the ones I usually encounter here."

Byakuya brushed off the words, and turned to go, but paused, his eyes widening as an ear shattering boom sounded, and he was thrown roughly to the floor. A second heavy shock made the stone walls crack. He regained his feet and sent a shock of kido through Aizen's bindings, freeing him from the leather straps again. Aizen gazed at him in surprise as the noble dragged him along into a corner of the cell. Then a final shock rocked the prison and brought the building down on top of them.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Give your report," the Captain Commander said, glaring down the two rows of captains to where the Central 46 messenger knelt.

"Sir! About ten minutes ago, unknown assailants detonated numerous devices that had been placed in strategic locations within the headquarters. Whoever it was, knew what he or she was doing. The building collapsed and caught fire. There have been hundreds of deaths and injuries. But the good news is that many of those working within were safely evacuated. The prison levels were cut off from the rest of the building because of the collapse of the rock that the prison was hewn out of. The surviving councilors have ordered the prison completely sealed to prevent any surviving prisoners from escaping."

"They aren't going to even try to rescue the prisoners?" queried Captain Hitsugaya, "I know they are criminals, but..."

"The council does not feel it is right to risk additional innocent lives in an attempt to save those who are not meant to leave the prison anyway. They judge the situation too dangerous."

"But wait!" objected, Captain Ukitake, "What about the guards? And I know, for a fact that Captain Kuchiki was at the prison this morning to interrogate a prisoner. What about him?"

"I am sorry sir," said the messenger, "But no reaitsu was sensed around the prison area following the explosions. The councilors at the site concluded that anyone in the prison must have perished when the rock collapsed on them. They have deemed it even too dangerous to try to recover the bodies. They will maintain the seal to keep us safe from any survivors who try to escape, but they will not allow anyone into the area, given the danger."

"Nice," muttered Captain Kyouraku, shaking his head.

"Head Captain," said Captain Ukitake, "May I go to inform my vice captain of what may have happened to her brother?"

"Go on," said the Captain Commander, frowning, "I am sure that the Kuchiki clan will want to act quickly to determine Captain Kuchiki's whereabouts. As for the rest of you, you are to return to your duties. Central 46 has assigned its own forces to see to the cleanup, and will inform us as to any needs as they arrive. You are dismissed."


	2. Steal My Breath

**Chapter 2: Steal My Breath**

"Byakuya," Aizen said, blinking and choking on the thick dust in the air around them.

As it settled, he registered a warm weight that was rested on his chest, and a tumble of sakura scented hair that had landed on his face as they fell together, shielding him from some of the thick smoke, ash and dust in the air. He tried to move, but stopped as a pained, guttural sound rose up from the semi-conscious man on top of him.

"Byakuya?" he said again, squinting in the deep darkness.

He couldn't see much more than an outline, but he could feel constriction around the area of their hips. He moved carefully, reaching down with his hands, and determining that a section of rock had pinned them, and the constriction seemed mostly due to Byakuya's heavier clothing. He couldn't hold back a smirk as he reached down and began to loosen the noble's uniform. The haori and shihakushou top came off readily enough, but he had to work slowly to remove Byakuya's hakama, leaving him in only the lighter yukata that had been underneath.

"My apologies," he told the unconscious man, still smirking, "but this is necessary to allow better blood flow for both of us."

Byakuya only groaned uncomprehendingly and shifted on top of him, then winced and made a deeper, more pained sound.

"Ah, I would be able to sense and treat your wounds if I was allowed my powers, but even if you were fully conscious, I doubt that you would grant me any amount of power. I know that one like yourself would rather doom himself to death in this black place, than to loose a demon like me back into civilized society, ne Byakuya?"

He shook his head softly and sighed.

"I shall have to do this in the more mundane fashion, then."

He carefully looked over the parts of Byakuya's body that he could see, then slowly slipped his hands beneath the noble's yukata and felt for broken bones or splashes of blood.

"It is not the best method," he admitted, "but I am afraid there is no choice."

He started to say more, but was stunned into silence as Byakuya's body moved on top of his, and the noble moaned fitfully. He licked his lips to moisten them, then continued to quietly explore Byakuya's body with his hands, his member twitching softly and beginning to harden as Byakuya shifted again and caused unintended, but deeply pleasant friction.

"You shouldn't do that," he warned the unconscious man in a seductive tone, "You are making me aroused. And having been deprived of proper stimulation for such a long time, it is far too much to ask of me to show restraint."

His heart skipped and beat faster as Byakuya shifted again, and began to struggle to free his trapped hips. The noble gasped in shock at the pain the movement caused and collapsed onto Aizen's chest moaning in distress.

"Try not to move," Aizen said calmly, "It appears that your back has been injured. You will make it worse if you continue to thrash about."

He slipped a hand beneath the noble's yukata and ran it slowly down his spine, stopping as he found a place that, when touched, caused Byakuya to stiffen and gasp.

"I do not feel anything," Aizen said, concern in his voice, "but that does not mean there isn't damage. Byakuya, you need to wake. I need you to loose the seal on my powers so that I can heal you."

Byakuya's large gray eyes opened then, but showed no sign of recognition that the man he was with was his enemy, Sousuke Aizen. He gazed at the other man through dazed, feverish eyes, his eyelids fluttering as he tried to gather himself.

"Byakuya?" Aizen said questioningly, touching the senseless noble's cheek and reaching down to squeeze one pale hand.

"O-oh," groaned the paler man, his eyes starting to close.

"No, don't do that," Aizen said quickly, patting his face gently, "If we are going to escape this place, then you need to wake up. Wake up, Byakuya."

Byakuya groaned again and turned his head, his lips blundering into Aizen's and freezing there. Aizen smiled and loosed a soft, wicked chuckle.

"You _really_ shouldn't tempt me like that," he said, letting his lips tease the noble's and smiling more widely as Byakuya's lips rubbed warmly against his, "I am not likely to restrain myself if you move me sexually."

He touched a finger to the delirious noble's lips, and watched in amusement as Byakuya sucked it into his mouth and tormented it slowly with a decidedly lusty, pink tongue.

"Ah," he sighed, hardening at the silken feel of that devilishly hot appendage as it slid off the end of his fingertip, then sought his mouth again, "So, it seems there are some wicked, hidden passions beneath that very proper surface, ne Byakuya?"

He met the noble's kiss firmly, thrusting his own tongue into Byakuya's mouth. He moved his hips in a slow, controlled fashion, generating sweet, dizzying friction, but careful not to put pressure on the noble's injured back.

"Mmmmm," he moaned softly, "Byakuya, I must tell you. Despite our current predicament, I am _very_ much enjoying this naughty little interlude. Mine has been a horridly lonely confinement. But see now, in moments, you have erased the memory of that and..."

He paused, blinking, as Byakuya flinched and groaned, then opened his eyes again. He froze for a long, stunned moment, glaring into the other man's amused brown eyes, then tore his mouth away from Aizen's and tried to free himself.

"What in kami's name do you think you are doing?" he hissed, blushing furiously, "Have you lost your mind?"

He caught his breath sharply as pain rocketed through his back, then fell still, glaring down at Aizen, with mayhem in his pained, gray eyes.

"Oh, how disappointing," Aizen sighed, "I was so enjoying your sinful little display of affection, Byakuya. You _can_ feel what you've done to me, ne?

"How dare you...put your hands on me!" the noble snapped shakenly.

"Actually, I restrained myself from touching you too much as I undressed you. And I didn't do _anything_ to you that you did not start," Aizen said, smiling at the flush on the other man's cheeks and throat, "I admit that I removed some of your clothing, but I had to because of the constriction where we are caught under that rock. And I did reach under your clothes...but only to examine you to see if you might be injured. The kissing was _your_ idea entirely. I was very surprised...very _pleasantly_ surprised."

"Shut up," Byakuya panted, moving more carefully to try to free himself.

The movement forced his body to rub against Aizen's, and Byakuya couldn't help but feel the twitch and throb of the prisoner's awakened member where it touched them through their yukatas. The noble scowled as Aizen emitted a moan of arousal and moved as well.

"Stop that!" he snapped, trying to pull away, and making his injured back throb painfully.

He took hard panting breaths as the shock of pain sent his mind into a spin, and he nearly lost consciousness again. Aizen gazed at him sympathetically and shook his head.

"I am sorry. I will try to restrain myself, though I admit, it is quite difficult. Go ahead. Try again. I think you have almost got yourself out."

He pulled gently on the noble's hips as Byakuya carefully wriggled free, trying to ignore the reaction that his movements caused in Aizen's body. Aizen bit his lip and groaned as Byakuya slid free, but delighted in the flash vision he got of the noble's inner thighs and piqued member. He smirked, but said nothing. Surprise lit his features a moment later, when Byakuya's hands took hold of his and the noble pulled him free, then onto his feet. They stood in the dark ruins of the cells, scenting the smell of fire burning somewhere nearby.

"It looks as though we can get out into the corridor," Byakuya suggested softly, "But everything around us is very unstable. And while you might be immortal, I certainly am not."

Aizen chuckled.

"I may be immortal, but being buried alive would be dreadfully boring. And although I would certainly work my way free, it would be a bother."

He went quiet for a moment, then moved forward and caught Byakuya as the noble took a step, staggered and fell. They knelt on the floor, facing one another, with Aizen's arms holding Byakuya up as he gasped and fought the waves of pain that assaulted him.

"You are not going to be able to go on without healing," Aizen advised him, "You should loose the seal on my powers, just enough so that I can heal you."

"If I do that," panted the noble, "then you will also be able to incapacitate me at will."

"If I wanted that, I need only wait until the pain overcomes you, Byakuya," Aizen said, frowning, "I am afraid that if we are both going to get out of here, that we are going to have to put aside our differences, at least for the short term. Think of it this way. I still owe you for stopping those guards from assaulting me, for healing me, and for freeing and protecting me when the prison came down on us."

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes for a moment.

"Why _did_ you free me?" he asked softly, letting go as Byakuya pulled free of him and sat down on the dusty floor, "I would have survived, though I would have been flattened by the rock that smashed the chair I was bound to."

"It was reflex," the noble said, not looking back at him, "I wasn't thinking about your immortality. You were another living being, caught in a threatening situation. I just...reacted."

"Well," said Aizen, "Now, I am indebted to you. I give you my word that if you free only my healing powers, I will not attempt to incapacitate you, until we are free of the prison, and I need to escape from here."

"What about the hougyoku?" asked Byakuya, "Won't loosening the seal give it a chance to..."

"The hougyoku's part of the seal is deeper inside me. Healing power is more surface level. You can allow me healing powers without freeing the hougyoku."

"I am just supposed to trust you?" asked the noble in a troubled tone.

"Unless you wish to remain trapped in this place...an unpleasant prospect, ne Byakuya?"

Byakuya thought for several long minutes, then scowled at him.

"I cannot be responsible for loosing your darkness on the three worlds again. No. I will not release the seal."

"Unwise," Aizen said calmly, shaking his head and letting out an annoyed sigh as Byakuya struggled back to his feet and limped out into the corridor.

Aizen followed the noble into the corridor, and the two made their way carefully around the collapsed portions, noting the extreme silence about the area, and the fact that although several cell doors had been broken, there were no prisoners in sight. Peering into several of the cells revealed devastating damage to most of them. And most of the prisoners had suffered fatal injuries, being strapped to beds or chairs and unable to move as the prison rock rained down on them.

"Although it sounds harsh," commented Aizen, "It is better for you that they died. I may owe you for helping me, but they do not. And many of them have lost their minds, because of their long imprisonment, and the cruelty of their keepers. We will need to be careful of who we might find down here."

"Why would you worry?" Byakuya asked softly, "They can't kill _you_. And they will follow you because you are the strongest of them. They would likely keep me alive for a time anyway, to force me to use my powers to get through any obstacles...perhaps to use later as a hostage, if it is needed. I imagine that is the true reason that you have not harmed me."

"Byakuya, for shame!" said Aizen, "You think such horrid things of me! I am not wholly without a code of honor. It is just that most people do not understand it."

"I understand you just fine," Byakuya said solemnly, "You use the people around you for as long as they provide something that you need...and then you dispose of them."

"You make it sound like I am heartless."

"Aren't you? You betrayed the captains of the Gotei 13, your squad, your friends...everyone. You struck out at the noble class by murdering the Central 46 councilors, who you knew were all among the most powerful of the noble lords. You took another stab at the elite class by using my sister...ironically, one who was only noble by adoption. You drew the Espadas to your side and used them against us, but turned on them as you closed in on your goals. You gladly watched the ones who defected with you die. You killed Gin yourself..."

"He deserved to die for his treachery."

"You deserve to die for yours, too," Byakuya said softly.

"I am sure that you believe that."

"You said that before," Byakuya said, frowning, "Why is it that you seem to think you had some appropriate reason to do as you did? Am I somehow mistaken in my memory of things?"

Aizen sighed and lowered his eyes.

"It is not in your memory that the mistake lies...but...in secrets that you would not believe if I spoke them to you."

"What do you mean?" asked the noble, looking into Aizen's eyes as he raised them again, "What secrets are you talking about?"

The two went silent as the rock around them groaned, and they heard the beginning of another collapse. Screams sounded, echoing as rock and debris rained down from above them. Aizen took Byakuya off his feet and wedged the two of them quickly into a protected corner as the collapse continued. Byakuya clung to Aizen's shoulder where they knelt together, his breathing harsh as he reacted to the pain that had overtaken him as Aizen had moved him out of the path of the falling rock. His eyes glazed over and his mind began to dim. He heard Aizen's voice calling to him, again urging him to loosen the seal on his powers.

"I...would rather...die painfully," he panted, earning a dark glare from the other man.

"Well," the former leader of the hollows said reprovingly, "If things continue the way they are, then you just may get your wish. You are an awfully stubborn man, Byakuya. Do you really care more about keeping me in this place, than you do about returning to your loved ones?"

"It is because of them that I am willing to die this way, rather than to take a chance on you escaping. You tried hurt them before...and nothing you can say will make me believe that you would not do so again. I will protect them from you, though it hurts, and though I may die. If that is the price of protecting them, then I will pay it willingly."

Aizen let out a defeated breath.

"Then, I may as well kill you now, if that is my intent," he said softly.

The corridor went silent except for their soft breathing. Byakuya stared into Aizen's eyes, waiting breathlessly as the man stared back at him. Minutes passed, and neither man moved. Finally, Aizen sighed again and helped the noble to his feet. Byakuya moved gingerly, watching Aizen's face as the man helped him along the corridor, patiently moving debris and helping him over obstacles and they moved forward. After a time, Aizen guided him into another small alcove.

"You should rest a bit," he suggested, sitting down next to the noble and leaning back against the wall.

Byakuya sat back, trying to relax, but unable to get comfortable. He caught his breath softly as Aizen captured him and slipped in behind him, providing gentle support to the injured part of his back and gently massaging the muscles around it that had grown tense with trying to compensate.

"You should be lying in a hospital bed, not forcing yourself along these dark corridors, looking in vain for a way to escape," Aizen whispered into his ear.

He pulled the noble close, placing a hand over his mouth to keep him silent as an injured prisoner staggered past without seeing them. He had no fear for himself, of course, but Byakuya, being noble and having powers that the inmates would desire, was more vulnerable.

"Why did you do that?" Byakuya asked softly, watching as the blundering prisoner fell, righted himself again, and disappeared from view, "You could have used him to move things more quickly for you."

"I don't need him," Aizen said blithely, "I can manage well enough."

"You don't need me, either," Byakuya said quietly, looking into his eyes again and suppressing a shiver, "And you know that when we find a way out, I will see it as my duty to make sure that you do not escape. Why didn't you just kill me?"

Aizen gave him a cryptic smile.

"What reason could I give you that you would believe?" he asked in a tone that betrayed surprising affection, "You are truly a man of principle, Byakuya. That is a rare thing to find among the nobles. I enjoy your complany...and despite what you think, I may need your powers to escape this place. But...you are safe in my arms...for now."

Byakuya gave him a dark look, but settled against him and closed his eyes. Aizen held him quietly, watching the dim corridor and listening to the deep silence as the noble surrendered to sleep.


	3. Web of Lies

**Chapter 3: Web of Lies**

_"Come here, Segare," Soujun's voice said invitingly, coaxing his son deeper into the archive...to a sealed door that hadn't been visible until his father had brought it to his attention, "There is something I must show you."_

_Byakuya followed his father to the door, then watched, wide-eyed as his fingers gently traced the seal._

_"One of our greatest responsibilities is to safeguard certain information within the archive. What we seal behind this door runs from that which is too dangerous for the general populace to know, to that which is so dangerous that it can never be loosed on our society. Our duty is to guard the seal, and to make certain that these things remain always inside, where they cannot do harm. As heir, you will only remove that seal to place new items within, or at the behest of the spirit king, himself."_

_They turned away from the sealed door and walked to the very back of the archive, where another door, this one made of bright gold, decorated the rear wall._

_"This doorway," Soujun told him, "represents that greatest of the gifts that his majesty has bestowed upon our family. It is the only way, besides passing through the dimensional wall that anyone may enter the spirit realm. Only members of our clan may pass through the doorway."_

_"We can go to the spirit dimension?" asked the teen, wide-eyed._

_Soujun smiled._

_"It is something that we would only do in the gravest of situations, but yes. We may pass through into the spirit dimension to see to our duties to the king."_

Byakuya felt the memory fade, and heard the sound of a very distant voice, calling his name repeatedly. He tried to remember whose voice it was...to raise his own voice in return, but try as he might, his body refused to obey him.

_What has happened?_

_Why can't I feel anything?_

He felt the oddest sensation of being lifted and carried, and he heard that distant voice return. He couldn't understand the words, but the sound of the voice was deeply calm and inexplicably soothing. Byakuya strained his mind, trying to remember whose voice it was, but the name would not come to him.

Fire seemed to have invaded every corner of his body, and as it wrapped around and consumed him, lights flashed in his fevered mind. Faces appeared and faded. Voices rose up out of the blackness, speaking words he couldn't understand. Through it all, one concerned voice kept returning. And with that voice came cool, healing touches, whispers of encouragement, and the sense that there was something beneath what was happening that was terribly significant. He tried to surface, to make things clear in his shadowed mind, but reason seemed to have departed him and left him in an impenetrable darkness. Despair attacked his mind...the harsh possibility that he might have died already, that his life might have ended and he should really just let go. But just when he seemed to be falling towards an even deeper abyss, that calm, an dare he think, affectionate voice sounded in his mind and brought him back.

He wasn't sure how long he lingered in that odd balance between life and death. He only knew that he hadn't died, when a hand slipped into his, and someone whispered that he wasn't going anywhere. It was too important that he stay...that he moved forward and survived...that he learned the truth.

_The truth?_

_What does he mean?_

_What truth has been withheld from me?_

Everything went silent around him again, and in the silence and darkness, he began to feel the deep bonds that connected him to his clan, flare and pulse. And in that removed state, he could feel the presence of others of his kin.

_Here?_

_Within the prison?_

_But...?_

He seemed to have left his body. He looked down at where he laid on the ground, held tightly in Aizen's arms, and listened in silent fascination as the prisoner called his name with an almost desperate edge in his normally composed voice. The man's fingers threaded through his hair and touched his face in a way that belied the truth of their enmity. It struck him forcibly that Aizen really did not want him to die. Another sound shock passed through him as a soft glow rose around the man in defiance of the bonds on his powers.

_No_, Byakuya thought, _what I am seeing is not ordinary reiatsu, but...but his...what?_

_Sousuke Aizen is...trying to save my life?_

_He would do this to keep me from dying?_

_Why?_

He took a step towards his pale, unmoving body, intending to return to it, but stopped again as he felt the call of his forebears. The cries of his family seemed, all at once to ring through the ruined corridors, luring him away from his collapsed body and into the dark cells. He passed back in the direction they had come, listening to the pleading cries and following one into a shattered cell.

A body laid beneath fallen stone, deprived of life and nearly buried. At first glance, he did not know the face. But as he looked closer, he sensed something wring with what he was seeing.

"An illusion?" he whispered, reaching down to touch the dead shinigami's face.

Byakuya's eyes went wide and his heart throbbed painfully in his chest as he watched the illusion face and the face came into focus.

"This cannot be!" he gasped softly, touching the man's face again, "I have to be dreaming..."

He rose and backed towards the doorway, his breath catching as Aizen's arms wrapped around him from behind.

"An illusion?" Byakuya asked, shakenly, "_You_ did this?"

"No," the traitor's voice said softly, "I did not do this. You know I have no power that could do this right now."

"You must have done this before you left," the noble accused him, "How else...?"

He broke away from Aizen's grasp and ran from the room, following the other cries that rose up all around him. And each time he reached on, it was the same. Their dead faces haunted him, and their voices raked his mind chillingly.

_What does this mean?_

_These men are honorable men...councilors, not prisoners! Why are they here? Who is responsible for this?_

"Byakuya," Aizen's voice said, breaking into his frantic thoughts, "You are going to be all right now."

The edge of a cup touched his lips, and Byakuya managed a few swallows of water. His eyes cracked open for a moment and looked up into Aizen's questioningly.

"That is better," the prisoner said, smiling approvingly, "though you look distressed. This place is full of nightmares and wicked secrets, ne?"

The air seemed to have frozen around him. He shivered uncontrollably, but even as cold as he was, Aizen's hand felt like ice on his face. He groaned as a cold, wet cloth washed his face, and tried to push away the hand that held it.

"I wish you would have listened to me when I asked you to grant me healing powers," Aizen said unhappily, "I could have helped you to sleep comfortably. As it is..."

Aizen's voice disappeared again, but Byakuya felt himself being pulled close and held against the man's body.

"Perhaps you don't enjoy the closeness, but you need warmth."

Byakuya drifted off again, sinking into the sea of questions that burned in his beleaguered mind. He grappled with them until he could no longer think, then sank down into silence and nothingness...drifting peacefully there until a thin shaft of residual pain broke through. Byakuya groaned at the discomfort that had risen again in his back. But he was pleased to note that the sensation seemed to have lost some of its sting.

"Aizen," he managed in a ragged whisper.

Aizen smirked.

"Goodness, so formal?" he mused, "Even after all of the time I've spent cuddled up to you, trying to keep us both warm?"

"_Let go of me_, you foul...!" the noble said, pulling free of him and glaring.

"Come now, Byakuya," Aizen said, shaking his head, "Do you really think it's appropriate to say such things to the man who saved your life?"

Byakuya suddenly remembered being outside of his body, watching as Aizen's body glowed in the darkness...as he held the noble close, and some of that glow filled him as well. His eyes widened.

"You...?"

"Well," Aizen said, tilting his head and studying Byakuya's darkly fascinated gaze in the half light, "If I intend to escape this place, I will, at some point, need your powers to break through obstacles and..."

"That is not why you saved me," Byakuya said, frowning, "That is not why you..."

"Shared my life force with you?" Aizen finished, smiling at him in a way that sent a chill down the noble's spine, "It _was_ a rather extreme act. But, I have my reasons. Let's just leave it at that."

"Sharing of one's life force is _forbidden_!" Byakuya went on in a shocked tone, "Not just because of the extreme danger to the one yielding it, but because of the possibilities for misuse. You are an educated man. I am certain you know of the group that exploited this. They were akin to what the living folk call 'vampires!' Aizen..."

"Byakuya, calm yourself," Aizen said off-handedly, "It is not as though I was feeding on _your_ life force...as sweet as I am sure it would be. I only shared a bit, and shared it carefully because you were, in fact dying. It seems that you had internal injuries. And as you were so persistent about denying me even healing powers..."

"You _could _have simply let me die!" Byakuya snapped, in an uncharacteristic loss of composure, "It wasn't as though I needed or _wanted_ you to save me! I was more than willing to die if it meant keeping you from escaping!"

Byakuya forcibly reined in his temper, biting at his lips as the echoes of his angry outburst faded. He froze at the sound of footsteps in the hallway, then pushed himself onto his knees, gathering himself. Aizen's arm curled around him and coaxed him back under the cover of some fallen rock.

"It came from this direction. I am sure," a low, malevolent voice said, "It was that bastard noble that interrogated me earlier! I'd love to get my hands on him."

"Me too," said another voice, "but because we are going to need some way of breaking through that seal. You _know_ that none of us have the power to break through."

"Yeah, we have to find a guard or something," muttered the first man, "Too bad those councilors in the conference room were all dead. Could have used their power. I'm sure _they_ wouldn't have wanted to be locked in here to die with us!"

Byakuya felt an anxious swell of memory from his period of unconsciousness. He placed a steadying hand on his abdomen and leaned against Aizen instinctively.

_That couldn't be right..._he told himself.

"Are you all right?" Aizen breathed in his ear.

Byakuya shivered.

_The seal does make sense, but what of the talk of the ones in the conference room? The conference room on this level wasn't being used. We had to use the one a level up, because of maintenance being done. There might have been workers in there, but not councilors!_

His mind spun back to the odd dream he had had while unconscious...how he had gone into the cell and found the dead councilor who, to his knowledge, had died when Aizen had slain the other councilors of the time.

_It doesn't make sense..._

Aizen's hand touched his face, and he turned his head almost blindly. He froze with the other man's hand on his cheek, his face nearly ashen.

"They are gone now," Aizen said softly, "I do not believe that we were sensed."

Byakuya continued to stare at Aizen, his gray eyes intense.

"Are you really so surprised that they opted to seal the prison?" Aizen asked, "The Seireitei's most dangerous criminals are in here. And the ones that did not die are roaming about freely...dangerous, even without their powers. What price is it to pay to allow a captain, who was probably killed anyway to expire in the ruins, when the alternative is the escape of deadly criminals?"

"I understand that," Byakuya said finally, "I am not surprised at being abandoned by them."

"And likely, you don't hate them for it," Aizen said dryly, "Really, Byakuya..."

He trailed off as the noble stood and started for the door, his legs shaking beneath him.

"What are you doing?" Aizen asked, moving to follow, "Those men could still be around here. It isn't safe for you to be...Byakuya!"

The noble ignored him and staggered on, leaning against the wall to steady himself. He worked his way ahead to where the conference room was, pausing to pick up the fallen sign that he had seen earlier.

_It isn't my imagination..._

He put his hands on the door and pushed, opening the way into the conference room.

The damage to the room was immense, and all of the ones within were unquestionably dead...crushed by falling rock and debris, some thrown away from the table, but some collapsed onto it.

"Byakuya?"

He moved towards the ones at the table, sickness rising up inside as he began to recognize faces. His breath caught, and his legs weakened.

"Oh my god," he whispered, shock flooding his body.

"What's wrong?" Aizen asked, sounding oddly untroubled.

"These men," Byakuya said shakenly, "They weren't killed by the explosion."

He reached out and touched the face of one of his own relatives.

"What do you mean?"

Byakuya's fingers fell to the expensive scarf that adorned the dead shinigami's throat and shoulders.

"They were dead before the blast," Byakuya hissed softly, "They _had _to be! There were three explosions before everything came down. We are on the lowest level, and there were no bombs on this level. We would know if there had been. They were at the table when everything came down. If they had been alive...if they been conscious, then they would have been trying to reach the corners of the room. They would have been protecting themselves. Sousuke, these councilors were _murdered_!"

"But by whom?" Aizen asked, in a voice that suggested that he already knew.

Byakuya turned and staggered out the door, ignoring Aizen's pleas for him to stop. He ran back along the way they had come, reaching out with his senses, and feeling tears in his eyes as he registered the reiatsu that had somehow been hidden before. He found the cell that had been in his vision, and burst inside, sliding to a stop as it struck him that the cell looked exactly as it had in his dream. He moved forward to where the dead prisoner laid, and peered down at his face. He wanted to feel relief at the fact that he didn't recognize the man, but he remembered...

"An illusion..." he whispered, as Aizen's step sounded in the doorway.

He placed a hand on the dead man's chest and invoked his power. His heart skipped painfully and his breath caught as the illusion around the man fell away. Byakuya stared at the man speechlessly as Aizen joined him. He looked surprised for a moment as he recognized the man as one of the councilors he remembered killing. Then, realization touched his handsome features.

"I see," he said softly.

Byakuya's shattered gaze struck Aizen forcibly.

"What?" the noble managed in a choked voice, "You _know_ who? Why this was done?"

"I do not know everything," Aizen admitted softly, "But I believe I can cure you of some of your confusion if you are ready to entertain the notion that I can, on occasion, speak the truth."

"This man was supposed to have died when you killed the Central 46 councilors," Byakuya whispered, "The councilors in that conference room _shouldn't_ have been there! That conference room was closed. _No one _should have been in there but prison maintenance staff. The men were dead before the explosion...cleanly executed. And the prison has been sealed, meaning that there will be no rescue for the ones down here."

"There is something else that I wonder about," Aizen said softly, "Byakuya, who ordered you to come here to question that prisoner today?"

Byakuya looked back at the other man numbly, the truth striking him soundly.

"The head captain said that the order came from the council...and that I was requested personally...by name."

"You understand then," Aizen said, touching his face and staring down into his widened eyes, "This wasn't an attack from outside forces. This was a slaughter...a mass assassination...and you were one of its targets."


	4. Disillusionment

**Chapter 4: Disillusionment**

"You look surprised," Aizen said, studying Byakuya's stunned expression, "Do you mean to tell me that you didn't know of the corruption that poisons the noble clans?"

"Of course I am aware there is corruption," Byakuya said indignantly, "It doesn't matter how civilized the society. There are always going to be those who, for any number of reasons, pursue change through baser means. But what you are suggesting is...Sousuke Aizen, if this is true, it speaks of the collective work of more than half of the council...so many conspirators...the internal corruption of the entire body of justices!"

"And you wonder why I killed them all," sighed Aizen, "Or _thought_ I killed them all."

Byakuya nodded.

"The fact that we found councilors who had been disguised as prisoners...and that they had been concealed down here for so many years speaks to just how long this plot has been underway."

"So," said Aizen, gazing into Byakuya's widened eyes, "Are you ready to hear what I have to say?"

Byakuya looked back at him skeptically.

"Just because there is corruption in Central 46 does not excuse you for breaking in here, murdering a full contingent of councilors using stealth and usurping their power."

The noble's eyes narrowed and his reiatsu flared.

"As well as using my sister as a pawn in your plans."

Aizen smirked.

"I think we will just have to agree to disagree on that. But if you will sit down for a moment, I will share with you what I learned some time ago that brought me to the conclusion that I needed to take action."

Byakuya looked around briefly, then back at the former captain.

"It seems we have nowhere else to be, at the moment. I will listen to what you have to say. I would ask, however that we move on from here. We are going to have to try to find a way out of here, so we can walk and talk on the way."

"Do you have your bearings?" Aizen asked, "Do you know which way to go to find a way up?"

"I do remember the direction of the lifts," said the noble, "however, I wouldn't suggest hoping any of them will be in working order. And if you are correct in your conspiracy theory, then it is likely that special attention will have been paid to disabling or otherwise damaging them."

"You are probably right, but we should assess them anyway to be sure."

"This way, then," Byakuya said, leading him out of the cell they had gone into.

Aizen waited until they had gotten clear of the first collapsed corridor and were working their way towards an exterior stairway, then began his story.

"No one knows this, but I was brought to Central 46 when I was a child," he told the noble, "I won't bore you with the details. You know that when it is determined that a shinigami youth has exceptional power, it is the job of Central 46 'to assess the child and to place him or her on a pathway consistent with the laws and mores of peaceful society.'"

"Yes," said Byakuya, "It does not happen so often, but sometimes, a shinigami or his or her zanpakutou can be found to be at risk for later trouble. There are many programs for those children, and they are quite successful. It is well documented."

Aizen shook his head.

"It is well documented that children with relatively minor issues, who can easily be helped are recommended to these programs and, yes, those children are helped."

"There are a few of my own relatives who are a part of that program...both the running and the execution of it. Why? Are you saying that the organization is corrupt? How so?"

"That organization is fine and noteworthy," said Aizen, "It is just that not all children identified as being 'at risk' are put into the program."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked, frowning.

"There is no oversight of which children are tested and assessed. Records and documents disappear from the assessment center at an alarming rate, yet no one knows this, because no one is checking to see who is being tested..._and what happens to them afterwards_!"

"So...enlighten me," said Byakuya, "What exactly happens to the ones who have issues that cannot be addressed by these programs? I have never even heard of such a thing happening."

"I have," said Aizen, his eyes darkening with hatred, "You see, Byakuya, I _was_ one of those children!"

Byakuya's eyes narrowed, but he didn't look completely surprised.

"I can see how someone with your abilities would have caught the attention of Central 46. As your long list of heinous crimes proves, intervention early on isn't simply beneficial, it is critical. But you are only..."

"I was brought before an assessor when I was eight years old and my powers began to emerge. I did not yet have my zanpakutou, but they would have been able to sense it preparing to manifest. The assessor was kind to me and after I was tested, I was sent home with my parents. Later that night, they burst into our home, and they said that I had to go with them. They convinced my parents that anyone I came into contact with was in danger of my powers overwhelming them. They promised that I would not be harmed, but that my powers had to be neutralized for everyone's safety, as they were too destructive."

"A fair conclusion in retrospect, ne?" said Byakuya, "I do not hold with them neutralizing your powers without fair cause, but..."

"They _lied_ to my parents!" Aizen snapped angrily, his voice echoing in the empty corridor, "They took me from my home in the dead of night and brought me back to this place. They put me in a holding cell, and I heard several of the councilors talking, one saying to another, 'I know it seems wrong, killing the boy, but if we allow his zanpakutou to emerge and to join with the powers that he has innately, he is going to be too dangerous. Better that he quietly disappear. The termination will be painless. And we will tell the parents that, tragically, their son did not survive the neutralization process...it _happens_ occasionally!' Fortunately, for me, Kyouka Suigetsu seemed to realize the nature of my circumstances. He manifested and helped me to use his illusions so that they only _thought_ that they killed me that night. Kyouka Suigetsu helped me to conceal myself in the Rukongai. I thought to return to my parents, but when I came to the house, I learned that my parents had been made too afraid of me. I heard them talking about me, saying how much they missed their little boy, but they were relieved at the danger being gone. I fled into the Rukongai, changing my appearance and name, so that I could hide amongst the children in an orphanage in the upper Rukongai. I grew up there, using the name, Sousuke Aizen. And I vowed that I would make each of the ones who did this to me pay! For my wretched parents, I left them haunted with a ghostly image of me that hounded them until they lost their minds and had to be institutionalized."

The two had stopped as they had reached the first of the exterior stairways. The structure had been completely destroyed and was so badly caved in that they could find no way to crawl through. After a careful attempt to clear some of the debris, they were forced to admit defeat and to move on, looking for another of the emergency stairways.

"I agree that what was done to you was heinous, and certainly, the guilty parties should have been punished, but it hardly points to the kind of corruption you suggested."

"Not in and of itself, Byakuya," Aizen said darkly, "But the part I told you about is not all of the story, and does not explain my decision to seek, not justice, but revenge."

"Then, do go on," Byakuya said, continuing on as Aizen followed.

"Are you sure you do not need to rest. You are beginning to stagger again, Byakuya. You should..."

"You should continue with your explanation, if you wish to convince me of anything, Sousuke Aizen."

Aizen smiled patiently, shaking his head at the noble's stubbornness.

"As you will, then. After I completed the vengeance that I had promised to take upon my parents, I returned to the Seireitei in disguise, and went through the academy as a respectable citizen, evincing just enough promise to win a seated position and to be considered future captain material. I worked hard to earn the respect of those around me, but it was clear from early on that no matter how I excelled, special favor was going to be given to noble born students. It was a slap in the face, even having concealed the true level of my powers, to be held back and pushed down for no better reason than I was not noble."

"That is still no reason to commit mass murder," Byakuya said dryly, beginning to pant uncomfortably as the pain increased in his back.

"No," Aizen agreed, "And even at this point, I was ready to shoulder the frustration. But I did want to go back to Central 46, as I was haunted by what had happened to me. I wanted to be sure that it did not happen again."

"And you thought that purging the council was the way to go?" Byakuya sighed, "Disgraceful."

"I told you, that wasn't it at all. I wasn't sure what action I would take, but I worked my way into a position of trust inside the Central 46 chambers. And once on the inside, working as a respectable liaison to the council, I came face to face with just how corrupt and lawless that governing body really is."

His eyes darkened and became deadly, and beneath the seal, his reiatsu swelled warningly.

"You think that, in general, the council is fairly run and helps to keep the peace? If so, then you are far too naive, Byakuya. That scene you saw back there? Murdered councilors? Secret prisoners? That is just the beginning. What the conspirators were doing...was trying to overcome the justice that only your clan, among the four greatest, championed!"

"Are you saying that the other great clans conspired to overcome the power of the Kuchiki clan? How so, when we have maintained our position atop the noble clans all of this time?"

Aizen sighed and shook his head reprovingly.

"Really, Byakuya, you are incredibly gullible, ne? You really think that your clan is in control? Truly? Well, allow me to disillusion you! You don't have nearly the power you think. And if you think I am wrong, then answer me this. What is the mantra of your clan?"

"We strive for..."

"A peaceful society," Aizen finished, "through the careful delineation of, adherence to, and enforcement of our society's laws? Is that it?"

"Yes."

"There are none among the noble lords who do not know this. So, the obvious way to control the Kuchiki clan is to control Central 46."

"As you so capably proved with your own actions," Byakuya said, frowning.

"But I was not the first to use this institution in that manner."

Byakuya paused, swaying as the pain intensified in his back, until nausea began to overtake him. Aizen shook his head and coaxed him into sitting down in a small, dark alcove. Byakuya flinched and glared as Aizen's hand slipped beneath his yukata, but couldn't help closing his eyes and loosing a soft, relieved groan as Aizen's fingers worked themselves into the knotted muscles.

"You are going to have to rest," Aizen insisted, "Even if we find a way up, you won't be able to manage if you do not rest. You have badly strained your back and may be doing permanent damage."

"And that concerns you because...?"

Aizen smiled.

"If you lame yourself to the point of uselessness, I will have no way out of here at all."

He felt suddenly, that Byakuya was shivering, and worked his own body closer, using his chest and abdomen to provide support for the noble's injured back. And he was made certain that Byakuya was finally ready to admit his need for such, as he made no complaint at the closeness with his enemy. He merely turned his head to rest it on in the warmer space beneath the other man's chin and slowly caught his breath, fighting the onset of sleep.

"You should let yourself drift off for a bit. You need the rest," Aizen advised him.

"You have no idea what I need," Byakuya countered, his voice betraying his weariness, "I will rest briefly, then we will go on."

Aizen sighed again and held the noble against him, finishing his story as Byakuya struggled to remain aware.

"I told you that I was not the first to use Central 46 to control the Kuchiki family's actions. And the truth is, that it had been done by a secret society within the council. I worked my way inside the council and I began to look for clues to which councilors were involved. Someone must have become suspicious, because my association with them was suddenly terminated. Oh, I was let go with a lovely reference touting my abilities, but the intent was clear. Someone knew I was probing for information. I tried several times to slip in, but even with Kyouka Suigetsu's assistance, doing so was difficult and it was impossible for me to find the information I sought.

I began to lose hope, and to lose faith that there was any way to trust that governing body to be just anymore. Amidst the throes of my disappointment, I discovered the way to make the hougyoku, and my path to Las Noches was set out before me. And because I knew there was no justice for any to be had in Soul Society, that it was just a farce as long as liars and traitors were undermining our society, I decided that I would use the full strength of my powers to change that.

I will not go and say that it was for humanitarian reasons."

"Good," muttered Byakuya, "Then, I would _know_ you were lying!"

"And I decided that, as the Kuchiki clan had seemed powerless to stop the others taking advantage, they deserved to be swept aside with the rest. That is why I involved you and your sister. What was needed was a complete upheaval and renewal of the leadership in our worlds. And it seemed poetic justice that the powers that my aggressors feared is the one that will rule them in the end."

"Listen to you!" Byakuya said angrily, "Going on and on about how you would fix things! You talk about fairness and justice! Was it just to use innocent people as pawns in your plans, Aizen? Rukia never did anything to you! Nor did Momo. And more than that, Momo was your own vice captain, and trusted you, as you misled her to do! As much as you say that you were wronged, and that those councilors were unjust, you turned to those same tactics when you sought to rise to power! How are you any better?"

Aizen gazed into Byakuya dark eyes and was surprised at the genuine hurt he found there. He stared wordlessly for a time, then brushed the stray hairs away from the noble's smudged face.

"You have me there," Aizen admitted quietly, "What happened to me is that the struggle for justice eventually turned into a struggle for power to force order on the unjust worlds I occupied. So, no, in the end, I was no better than the ones who hurt me. But I was, from beginning to end, made by them."

"And how do you know that you would not have followed a similar path, even if not corrupted by them?"

Aizen smiled and shook his head.

"I don't. But it doesn't matter. I was stopped. Those councilors and conspirators have not been, and in fact, have taken large strides forward. And the next logical step after 'removing' the incorruptible councilors from their positions, is to kill you and conquer your clan...making sure that any power that begins to awaken after your death, is quickly squashed. You may hate what I did, but these people are about to make war on your entire family. All that remains to be seen, is how they turn the blame on you."

Byakuya went quiet for a long time, leaning against his enemy and considering what he had learned. It was unthinkable that what Aizen was saying was true, but the evidence was all there.

"Is there any way to prove anything that you have told me?" he asked finally, "If so, then I know a place to conceal and protect it, and us until we are able to provoke a summoning of a royal council, here in the Seireitei."

"Your family archive?" Aizen guessed, "How resourceful! But now that this building has been brought down, finding anything useful will be prohibitive at best. Once we escape the lower levels, we must conceal ourselves, Byakuya."

"Are you suggesting using Kyouka Suigetsu? I thought you destroyed it." objected Byakuya.

"I allowed him to be sacrificed in the process of my transcendence. However, as the hougyoku has rejected me, fate has shifted and Kyouka Suigetsu only awaits the breaking of the seal on my powers to return to me."

"Do not think you will convince me to..."

"You are marked for death, Byakuya," Aizen reminded him, "If you are thinking that you will waltz out of here and demand an inquiry, and be able to stop them, think again. They will only accuse you of the very conspiracy they are responsible for! One way or another, they will kill you. But if you allow Kyouka Suigetsu to conceal us, then we can procure the proof we need to convince a royal council of the corruption we know there was!"

"And what do you want in return, Sousuke Aizen?" Byakuya asked softly, "What is the price I will pay for trusting you? Will you kill me too?"

"I'll make this simple for you," Aizen said, smirking, "You _know_ that _they_ want to kill you. At least with me, you have some chance of you and your family getting back what they are trying to take. Think about it, Byakuya, but don't think for long. Because our time is limited."

Byakuya lapsed into silence again, overwrought by his injury and the deep feelings of betrayal.

_And now, it looks as though my only option may be to trust a cold-blooded killer. If his reasons for his actions are as he said, then he may redeem himself by helping me. But if it suits him, he could turn on me and a large number of people could end up dead..._

_What do I do?_

_Where do I turn?_

Aizen felt Byakuya shiver again, despite the warmth he had offered the noble. It was rare, he thought, to see vulnerability in this man...just as it had been rare to see the mercy that led him to rescue his enemy from his attackers. And it was even more unusual to feel a desire in himself to protect anyone else.

But Byakuya had proven himself to be different.

And in that moment, everything had changed.

As the noble drifted off into a troubled sleep, Aizen's arms held him a little bit tighter.

_Pure things cannot survive the world's travesties alone. They need protecting. But how odd it is to want to provide that protection myself. _

_I thought he was my enemy..._


	5. Live to Tell

**Chapter 5: Live to Tell**

Even deep in sleep, Byakuya could sense that something had gone horribly wrong. The shivering that had afflicted him just prior to surrendering to sleep had begun to envelop his entire body. He laid in a limp heap in Aizen's arms, quivering and sweating profusely. He could hear Aizen's voice speaking to him, but the words sounded garbled and his own attempts to speak proved useless.

_How odd that I should come to such an end, _the noble mused, _I have been betrayed by my own kind and lie, taking what may be my last breaths, in the arms of the Seireitei's most notorious criminal...a man I thought to be heartless._

_But the arms that hold me do not feel heartless..._

His mind sadly replayed his discovery of the bodies of the dead councilors in the conference room, and his finding that the nightmarish dreams that had invaded his mind weren't dreams at all, but a nightmare that he was living.

_It isn't supposed to be like this._

_We are the spirit king's most loyal servants, the ones upon whom he places the honor of being defenders of justice, and upholding the laws of peaceful society. I have believed in those basic tenets of our society all of my life. I was proud to stand among the strongest of the nobles...to be an agent of peace and lawfulness. _

_But what was I really defending?_

_Central 46 has become frighteningly corrupt. They have corroded the very foundation in which our society is built. Kami, it is no wonder that we have a criminal like Aizen on our hands. It is the natural outcome of their destructive lawlessness. _

_They defied their own reason for existing._

_And in so doing, they created Sousuke Aizen._

_Because...the laws of nature demand balance...is that not what I was taught?_

_Then...perhaps...perhaps it isn't chance or circumstance that this man walks among us now. Perhaps their corruption that made him into the monster he became, only did so to restore the balance that we have lost. I cannot fix this. I haven't the power or the ruthlessness._

_But he does._

_And maybe when the balance is restored, his soul will be made peaceful again. I do not know. I only wish that I had the strength to see this through. But I feel the signs in my body. My time in this world is done. I have but one thing left that I can do to make a difference...to restore the lost balance._

Somehow, he found the strength to open his eyes one last time. His weary and devastated gray eyes met a pair of eyes that held unusual warmth and unexpected sympathy. Aizen's fingers touched his face gently.

"So," Aizen said solemnly, "Is this our parting, Byakuya? You would rather let go of life than set us both free from this nightmare?"

"I was...wrong," Byakuya managed in a tremulous whisper, "I thought that...what was needed was..."

He shivered and coughed, then settled again.

"I am not the one who can restore peace to Soul Society this time. Central 46 h-has become too...corrupt, and there is...no justice. You are a stronger, more ruthless man and you c-can stop what is happening."

"Byakuya..."

The noble slipped a trembling hand into his pocket and withdrew a golden token. He slipped it into Aizen's hand and closed the other man's fingers around it.

"What is this?" Aizen asked, his voice echoing oddly in Byakuya's fading mind.

"That t-token will admit you to the K-kuchiki family archive. None may enter without my leave. You will be safe there. And there may be useful records. J-just...promise me one thing, Sousuke Aizen."

Aizen's eyes held his steadily, and he nodded briefly.

"Let no harm...come to m-my household. If the end must come for me, I accept that. But...leave me with some hope...a small light in the darkness that has taken over."

Aizen's fingers threaded through the noble's dark hair, and he nodded again.

"The Kuchiki noble house will be protected from whatever comes. I give you my word, Byakuya."

Byakuya's hand rose again, and Aizen's heart pounded in anticipation as the noble placed a quivering palm on his chest. Aizen laid a hand over Byakuya's, stopping him for a moment. Byakuya looked up at him dazedly.

"Do not unseal the hougyoku," Aizen warned him, "It will interfere in my plans. Just remove the seal on my powers."

"I have your word that my house will be protected?"

"Yes."

"Very well, then," whispered Byakuya, closing his eyes, "I will take my leave of you, Sousuke Aizen. Mind that you keep your promises to me."

He fell quiet, and a small blade of reiatsu arced between the noble's hand and the seal in Aizen's body. Aizen's brown eyes widened as the seal inside him shattered and power flooded his long deprived form. He sighed in relief as the feeling of weakness left him, and looked down at the man resting in his arms.

"Thank you, Byakuya," he said softly, "I know that your pride would have made you die, rather than free me. Your heart must have been truly broken at what they did to you. But be reassured. I will make sure that the ones who have taken your life do not succeed in their plans. I will avenge your death and I will see that your noble house continues on. I owe you that."

He bent his head and kissed the noble's still warm lips, then gently laid him on the ground. He knew he should go, but something made him remain at the dead clan leader's side.

_How did you accept what they did, and still keep such honor and grace about you? Why wasn't your heart jaded by their cruelty as mine was? Byakuya, why? You have as much reason to hate them as I do now. And yet, there was no hatred in you as you drew your last breaths, and true to your character, you used the last of your strength to do what you thought would restore order. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. The ones who did this to you...and those who did those things to me and still walk free...all of them will pay._

_All of them..._

He fixed a last image of the fallen noble in his mind, lying facedown, stretched out as though sleeping, his lovely, smudged face finally peaceful and rested on one slender arm. A draft made the ends of his hair flutter, igniting a soft catch in Aizen's heart and bringing about a strange, unexpected wish.

_I wish I could have returned the favor and saved you too. But my own powers, formidable as they are, will not bring back the dead._

He turned away from Byakuya and took a step, but stopped again as a soft voice spoke into his mind.

_You cannot save Byakuya Kuchiki, but I can._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sensing anything?" Renji asked, his voice rough with frustration, "Anything at all?"

"I can find no sign at all of his reiatsu," Rukia said solemnly.

"Neither can I," added Hanatarou.

"Well," said Ichigo, wiping the dirt and sweat from his brow, "We aren't all of the way to the bottom yet. There are still three more levels that we haven't reached yet. Let's keep going."

"All right," agreed Renji.

He glanced at Rukia, just in time to see her brush a tear away from her eyes.

"It's gonna be all right," he assured her, "We'll find him. That guy's not going to die so easily."

"I know," answered Rukia, sniffling softly, "it's just that it's been a few days. What if he was hurt, Renji? There's so much damage to the prison..."

"Hey guys," hissed Hanatarou, "Get down! There are more guards coming."

The four took cover and watched as the guards passed.

"That so strange," commented Rukia, after they passed, "Central 46 said that no one would be allowed down here...that they would just be detonating charges at the end of the week, once they were set, to cave in the rest of it so they would have stable ground to rebuild on."

"I guess maybe they're just really trying to keep people out of here. We aren't the only ones who have loved ones who were caught in this."

"I don't think they give a shit about that," said Renji, frowning, "Those guys were in a search pattern. They are looking for something. I wonder what."

"It doesn't matter," said Rukia, standing, "We need to keep moving. They are going to demolish this place tomorrow and I want to know what happened to my brother! I can't just..."

"No," said Ichigo, "None of us are buying that we should just sit back and let them do this. We're going to find him."

He glanced at Renji, not liking the expression the redhead wore.

"One way or another," he added.

They moved forward cautiously, listening for sounds of passing guards and trying not to make noises themselves. They were near the end of a corridor, when they saw a ragged man run down the corridor they were headed for, almost bumping into a second frantic man.

"Let's get out of here! They're just killing any prisoners they find. They want us _all_ dead!" exclaimed one.

Rukia, Renji, Ichigo and Hanatarou dashed into an alcove.

"I guess they just want to get rid of as many of us prisoners as they can, ne?" said the second man.

"No," panted the first, looking around, "No, I saw them kill a councilor...one that had survived the bombing. He was yelling at the guards as they killed him...that they wouldn't get away with what they were doing. There's some kind of doublecross going on!"

The two turned into the passageway where the four were hiding and started to run as a pair of guards appeared behind them and began firing kido spells. The weakened prisoners fell quickly, and the four in hiding watched with shocked eyes as the guards stabbed the collapsed bodies to make sure they were dead.

"Leave them," one guard said to the other, "This is all coming down tomorrow anyway. We need to finish on this level and get down lower. Councilor Furukawa wants to be sure no one is left alive down here."

The two continued down the corridor.

The four in hiding waited until the corridor was quiet again, then stepped out and slipped silently to the end of the hall. They passed a long row of cells, all with the doors opened.

"Renji!" Ichigo called softly, stopping the redhead and pointing inside one of the cells, then another.

"Looks like what those guys said about them killing surviving prisoners is true," concluded the redhead, "I think these guys were killed after the bombing. You can see where the doors are damaged from them trying to get out...but now they're standing open. Yeah. They were killed after the bombing."

"But what about what those men said about the councilor...the doublecross?" mused Rukia, "Something really frightening is going on. I just hope that my brother is okay."

"Well," said Renji, "Although the prison was badly damaged, a lot of it is still standing. And Captain Kuchiki is really smart and strong. If anyone can survive this and get out, it's him."

"But they're killing survivors, Renji!" objected Rukia, "What if they...?"

"Stop," said Ichigo, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Come on. We're not going to find him by standing here and worrying."

"Hey, look," Renji said suddenly, "This looks like it goes down to the bottom."

The others studied the rope that had been tied off at the top of a long, dark shaft.

"That's where we have to look," said Rukia, "My brother was questioning a prisoner on the lowest level...Muken."

Ichigo tested the rope with one hand.

"I guess I'll go first," he offered.

He slid down the long rope, into the blackness, and reached the bottom without incident. Renji and Rukia followed, leaving Hanatarou to guard the rope. They walked the long corridors, listening for any sounds of anyone who might have survived. But the area was deathly still.

"Renji, Ichigo," Rukia said softly, stopping as she came to a place where a torn, hooded cloak laid on the ground, "I feel it. Byakuya was here!"

Her eyes widened and she knelt next to the crumpled cloak.

"It's not much," she whispered, "But it means that he was alive, and headed in the right direction."

"He's probably already out of here," said Renji, "He'll probably be waiting when we get back to Kuchiki Manor."

"Yeah," chuckled Ichigo, "He'll yell at us for being so reckless, and going after him needlessly."

Rukia continued along the corridor and paused, staring, as she saw something that she had nearly missed in the darkness.

"What is that?" Renji mused.

"It's a tunnel," said Ichigo, "I'll bet this is how Byakuya got out. Come on. Let's get Hanatarou and then see where this goes!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya stirred, surprised first, that he was still alive and breathing, and secondly, that for the first time since the bombing, he felt comfortably warm. The room he was in was dark, so he could not see. But he could feel that he was wrapped in fine bedding and that his body was curled into someone else's arms. He recognized the pleasant, masculine scent of the other person at once. He tried to lift his head, but Aizen's palm touched his cheek and pressed his head back to the other man's shoulder, where it had been rested.

"S-sousuke Aizen?" he whispered, "Where are we?"

Aizen smiled.

"Don't you know this place?" he asked.

Byakuya peered into the darkness, making out some familiar shapes.

"This..." he mumbled sleepily, "We are in the recess...in the Kuchiki archive?"

"Yes, I thought that, given the fact that neither of us should be showing our faces in public, this was our best option."

"But," Byakuya said, shaking his head in confusion, "I don't understand. I was dying. I know I was. How is it that I am not dead?"

"Well," said the other man, "I could hardly let you die after you were so kind as to free me."

"Actually," said Byakuya, recovering himself slightly, "That is exactly what I would have expected from you, Sousuke Aizen. You have made no secret of your capacity for cruelty. If I am alive, then it is because you have a use for me."

Aizen's smile deepened.

"I would be lying if I said that I didn't have some ideas about how you might be of assistance to me," he admitted, "But that wasn't the only reason I rescued you."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed questioningly.

"I have grown used to your stimulating company," he whispered in the noble's ear, sending a bright flush roaring across Byakuya's face.

He tried to pull away and climbed out of the bed, but found that his legs collapsed beneath him, and he fell to the floor.

"You need to get back into bed," Aizen said reprovingly, getting up and helping him back in, "You are still weak from what happened to you. You nearly died, remember?"

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"I _did_ die," he announced softly, "I _know_ I did! How is it that I am still alive? What did you do, Sousuke Aizen?"

Aizen's hand drifted down to the 'v' in his yukata, and he opened it, baring his chest. Byakuya's eyes widened and his hands clenched in distress as he realized that the hougyoku implanted in Aizen's chest was fully unsealed.

"Kami!" he gasped, "What have I _done_!"


	6. The Proposal

**Chapter 6: The Noblest Form of Service**

_"You need to get back into bed," Aizen said reprovingly, getting up and helping the noble back in, "You are still weak from what happened to you. You nearly died, remember?"_

_Byakuya's eyes narrowed._

_"I did die," he announced softly, "I know I did! How is it that I am still alive? What did you do?"_

_Aizen's hand drifted down to the 'v' in his yukata, and he opened it, baring his chest. Byakuya's eyes widened and his hands clenched in distress as he realized that the hougyoku implanted in Aizen's chest was fully unsealed._

_"Kami!" he gasped, "What have I done!"_

"What have you done?" Aizen repeated, slipping the fingers of one hand under Byakuya's chin and making their eyes meet, "You have given me a second chance to end the choke hold that those conniving roaches have on Soul Society. You said it best when you spoke of restoring the balance that had been upset."

"But you do not restore the balance of injustice with a force that is equally ruthless and unjust," objected the noble, "What was I thinking? I must have been delirious. And now..."

He caught sight of the token he had given Aizen sitting on the nightstand next to the bed.

_If I can just..._

"Now, what?" Aizen asked, looking into Byakuya's widened eyes, "You saw an injustice, a deep, horrible betrayal meant to destroy your family. You acted to protect your family, despite the fact that you, yourself had been doomed to death. I think it was a rather touching display of devotion."

"I think I am going to be sick," Byakuya said, his face going a shade paler.

"I can make you some tea," Aizen offered, "perhaps some ginger tea would be soothing."

Byakuya's eye strayed to the golden token again, then met Aizen's.

"Y-yes, that would be fine," he said, his heart pounding.

Aizen nodded and crossed the room to the small kitchen area of the recess. Byakuya waited until his back was turned, then reached for the token, but was forced to withdraw his hand as Aizen suddenly turned to glance back at him.

_That was too close. I have to..._

"Do you take sugar in your tea?" Aizen asked, "Or do you prefer honey? I find myself leaning towards the honey, although you must have noticed how it always manages to find its way onto one's fingers...quite the sticky mess, ne?"

"Wh-what?" asked Byakuya, blinking.

Aizen turned back to the tea and continued in his more casual tone. Byakuya reached for the token again, but was thwarted as Aizen looked over his shoulder again.

"Which did you say you preferred?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I don't know," Byakuya said in a flustered tone, "Honey, I suppose."

"And a touch of lemon?" asked Aizen, "Ah, I remember now that you are not fond of things that are too sweet."

"Y-yes," Byakuya answered, biting at his lip nervously.

Aizen turned back to the tea and Byakuya took a steadying breath and snatched up the token from the nightstand. He immediately closed his hand around it and nullified it. A flush rose on his cheeks and throat as he realized that Aizen had seen, and was regarding him curiously. He walked back to the bed and set the tea on the nightstand, then sat on the edge of the bed as Byakuya looked from the tea to the other man.

"Why did you do that?" Aizen asked, "Why did you nullify the token? If I leave, will I not need it to return?"

"Yes," said the noble, forcing his body to calm.

_And you will also need it to escape this place..._

"It was just force of habit," Byakuya went on, "When one protects a place such as this, it is best to practice the safest habits. I do not know if you are aware that our family library is second only to the spirit king's own archive. The journals of our leaders and other documentary materials chart a history of the three worlds. And to protect it, we have placed it in a small dimensional rift. Only the Kuchiki clan leader and the king, himself, may enter this place of their own accord. All others must bear the token of entry. I charge the token to allow other family members or my attendant to enter."

"Fascinating," said Aizen appreciative, "I think you were correct in thinking that this place would prove useful. You will have to show me around, once you are well enough."

Byakuya nodded briefly, glad that he seemed to have successfully distracted the man away from focusing on the token.

"But for now," Aizen went on, sliding back into the bed, "You need food, rest and healing, "And I need time for my powers to reach full capacity, now that they have been unsealed."

Byakuya caught himself suddenly as he instinctively turned into the other man's arms. He froze there, gazing quietly into the traitor's solemn brown eyes and feeling his heart flutter beneath his breast.

Aizen smiled at him, leaving him with the odd feeling of having several errant hell butterflies flitting about in his stomach.

"What is it?" Aizen asked, turning his head so that his breath tickled the noble's ear, making a soft blush rise on Byakuya's fine skin, "You look surprised at your own actions, Byakuya. But surely this isn't such a surprise, ne?"

"I don't know what you mean," said the noble, taking a steadying breath.

"No?" said Aizen, turning his head so that his lips were tantalizingly close to Byakuya's, making the noble blush more pronouncedly, and making his heart skip painfully, "You and I have just been through a life altering experience...one in which it seems we took turns protecting each other. You protected me from the men who were taking advantage of me in my weakened state. Then, you pulled me out of harm's way when part of my cell would have collapsed on me. I cared for your injuries, inasmuch as I could while not having powers, and I helped you come to terms with the betrayal you had suffered at the hands of the same ones who altered the path of my life. You chose to believe in me, handing me my powers and trusting that I...a known criminal...would bring the three worlds back into balance. And in the end, I convinced the hougyoku to breathe life back into your fading body. Although I am not one who likes to depend on others, even I see how it makes sense that, after walking this path together, we might seek shelter in each other, even now that, for the moment, anyway, the danger has been thwarted."

Byakuya's lips tightened and his gray eyes darkened.

"Do you expect me to forget who you are and what you have done?" he asked sternly, "I would be a fool to forget how you turned on the ones who trusted you...the ones you led to believe that you cared about."

"I do not expect anything, Byakuya. But I will ask you to do something, as much for yourself as for me."

Byakuya looked back at him skeptically.

"What do you want me to do?"

Aizen's eyes locked on his, freezing him in place.

"I want you to place your trust where you always have. I want you to listen to a source that would never lie to you."

"And that is...?" the noble asked breathlessly.

"Your own heart," Aizen said, closing the distance between them.

The quiet recess they occupied, the archive, the whole of their world seemed to stand still and silent as Aizen lips claimed his. The unexpected warmth and tenderness in the exchange roared through Byakuya's tensed body, making his heart pound hard enough to burst and his hands clench where they had tangled themselves in the other man's yukata. He broke away again and turned his head aside, blushing brightly and wanting to be furious, but curiously unable to connect with the emotion.

"Your heart feels it," Aizen breathed into his ear, making it blush as hotly as his face, "the way our fates have become entwined. We have both been betrayed. We were marked for death by the same people, and our spirits yearn for justice that we cannot find using the normal channels. Byakuya, whether you are ready to admit it or not, if you are going to protect those people that you asked me to spare, then you are going to also have to accept that right and wrong have been upended here. If we want justice for ourselves and safety for our loved ones, then we are going to have to win it from these people."

He paused and touched the hougyoku, where it was fused to his chest.

"Neither of us is strong enough to do that on his own, but together, we have the power to overcome this enemy."

"I am not going to join you in committing treason!" Byakuya hissed, trying to pull away.

Aizen locked his hands tightly around the noble's slender wrists.

"I am not asking you to commit treason. I am asking you to join me in a quest for justice. And yes, I will benefit from you doing so...but so will you and your clan."

He brought his lips close to Byakuya's again.

"You want justice for them, ne? For the ones who were murdered in that prison? Councilors who were pure of heart and wanted only to see to the protection of justice under the law?"

"You murdered some of those seekers of justice, yourself!" Byakuya said sharply, "How are you any better than the others who committed like atrocities?"

His eyes strayed to the hougyoku, which had begun to pulsate with soft, white light as they had kissed.

"And why don't you just use that abomination in your chest to do whatever you want? You do not need me. My power is nowhere near that of the hougyoku. Why would you desire my assistance? That is, beyond your obvious lustful intentions?"

Aizen smirked.

"I must admit. I am not immune to your charms, Byakuya. And if you agree to assist me, I will lie down with you and partake of your sweet, lovely flesh."

The blush returned to Byakuya's cheeks and his temper flared.

"Aizen...!"

"But it will not be a purely lustful exchange," Aizen went on, "You see...it has to do with what happened when the hougyoku sensed my desire for you to live, Byakuya. I am sure you know that it was the hougyoku that saved your life, not so much me, ne?"

"I gathered that," acknowledged the noble, "But I imagined that you merely commanded it, and it obeyed you."

Aizen blinked slowly.

"May I remind you," he said softly, "that the hougyoku no longer accepts me as its master?"

Byakuya stared back at him wordlessly, his eyes wide and questioning.

"The reason that Kisuke's seal was able to activate, in the end, was because the hougyoku sensed a need in me...a weakness that caused it to reject me as its master. We are still fused together, so I still enjoy immortality. And it still senses my desires and sometimes chooses to fulfill them. But I am not the hougyoku's master. Still...I can be...under certain conditions."

"What are those conditions?" Byakuya asked, a feeling of impending fate passing over him.

"You know that the hougyoku is a device that I constructed to link to the most powerful shinigami it can find, and to bind its powers with that shinigami's to bring about the greatest of the shinigami's ambitions."

"That is what I was told," the noble acknowledged.

"And it is true. However, the hougyoku is a sentient being, meaning that once it was brought into existence, it acquired the ability to learn from its experiences. So, as it fused with me and battled for the crown, it learned several important things. First, the hougyoku learned that in addition to granting the desires of others, it had its own desires. But I will get to what those are in a moment. The other thing that the hougyoku learned was that even the strongest shinigami can be defeated by a weaker opponent whose heart is more complete."

Byakuya frowned.

"Gomen nasai, but what do you mean?" he asked, his body relaxing slightly.

"Ichigo was not more powerful than me. He simply pushed me to the ends of my strength by sacrificing his own. It was in that moment that the hougyoku realized a mistake that I made in its definition."

"Its...definition?"

"The hougyoku was made to seek and join with one shinigami soul...but to be completed, a shinigami's heart must be complemented by a second...and the two must stand together with a common desire driving them."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"And...you think that I will...?"

"I did not command you, Byakuya," Aizen said, looking into his eyes, "I _asked_ you. Will you join your power with ours to see to the justice that we both want?"

"You...?" Byakuya whispered, staring, "You want me to...?"

"I want you to follow your heart. You have said that you want justice...and when I kissed you, I felt the leaning of your heart. You know that what I am saying makes sense."

"But...even were I to agree that I want justice, and even if I indicated a willingness to join with you, you mentioned us...indulging in each other. How does that fit in with all of this?"

Aizen smiled.

"That goes back to what I said about the hougyoku learning of its own desires. What the hougyoku learned is that, like the living creature who created it, it longs for life...love...freedom to choose its own path. You see, Byakuya, the hougyoku wants to leave the safety of the crystal housing I placed it in. It wants to pour itself into a living body, and to emerge as a shinigami."

"What?" Byakuya gasped, "What do you mean? It wants us to...?"

"The hougyoku wants life...a fresh start as a normal soul on the cycle of rebirth, as we all are. And being that it has the capability, it found the way to that power. It has only to find a soul that resonates strongly with mine and is powerful enough to house it until it emerges as an innocent child."

The noble's frown deepened.

"You want _me_ to do this? Are you mad? I am a man...and the leader of the greatest of the noble clans. You cannot, just like that, ask me to...to have a child!" the noble said angrily.

"But don't you understand?" asked Aizen, his eyes holding Byakuya's steadily, "You wouldn't just be having a child, Byakuya. You would be protecting the three worlds from the hougyoku's out of control powers. The child that you will bring to life will have no memory of being the hougyoku. It will be just like other shinigamis, though it will be powerful because of the parents who will bring it to life."

Byakuya went silent, and Aizen used the moment to drive his point home.

"The seeding and bearing would bear some resemblance to normal pregnancy, but would differ in some ways. The power of the hougyoku would be gradually transferred from my body into yours through multiple acts of mating."

Byakuya's eyes and nostrils flared indignantly, and his rising reiatsu disturbed the air around them, making their hair flutter on the breeze.

"Sousuke Aizen, there is no way in _hell_ that I will _ever_ submit to being your _brood mare_! This whole thing is preposterous and you are ridiculous to think that I would even consider it!"

He came to his feet and started out the bedroom door, but stopped as it closed in front of him. Byakuya stood with one pale palm pressed against the closed door, and his furious eyes lowered. Aizen looked at his back and smirked.

"Where are you going?" he asked knowingly, "The moment you step out of the archive and reveal yourself, you are a dead man, Byakuya. There is no way out. And in fact, I am committed to seeing this through to the end. It was the condition on which the hougyoku agreed to save your life."

"_What?_" Byakuya gasped, turning to face the other man, and his eyes going wide, "I thought that you agreed to free the hougyoku from the seal in exchange for it saving my life!"

Aizen shook his head and smiled more affectionately.

"No, Byakuya. I did agree to release the seal on the hougyoku's powers, but it was not that which convinced the hougyoku to save you. The hougyoku would only agree to save your life...if I would convince you to help me give it life. That was our bargain."

Byakuya looked back at him with a stunned expression and his reiatsu rose until it shook the room forcefully.

"Sousuke Aizen," he said in a hard, threatening voice, "if you DARE to lay a hand on me, I will find a way to deprive you of your immortality and KILL YOU!"


	7. Nightmare

**Chapter 7: Fall of Honor**

_"Sousuke Aizen," Byakuya said in a hard, threatening voice, "if you DARE to lay a hand on me, I will find a way to deprive you of your immortality and KILL YOU!"_

"Oh come now, Byakuya," Aizen said, smirking, "It isn't so much to ask for saving your life and giving you a chance to make the bastards who attacked your clan pay. And might I remind you that the rest of your house sits out there, just waiting to be destroyed. Should you not put your focus on preventing that? Help me to give life to the hougyoku and we will help you to save them."

"You will help me anyway," said the noble, "I noticed that your zanpakutou has returned to you, and I want you to order it to assist me in evacuating our remaining subfamilies to somewhere safe...before we make any other decisions!"

"I don't think that you should be making demands," Aizen said, narrowing his eyes, "After all, the hougyoku did save your life. You are indebted."

"Then, let it reclaim what it saved, if it is so intended," Byakuya hissed coldly, "But I think that it will not want to do that as it will be forced to abandon its desire if I die."

_I will help him, _Kyouka Suigetsu said suddenly in Aizen's mind.

_What?_

_Did it escape you, _the zanpakutou spirit went on, _that this man did not only assist you in escaping the prison? Did you not understand that I was nearly gone...on the verge of actually dying when he broke the seal on your powers and let us connect...thereby saving me? I owe this man and I am going to help him...whether you agree or not._

_Kyouka Suigetsu, _thought Aizen, _when did you become so sentimental? But..._

_In the haze of lies you have told, Master, have you forgotten the full detail of the agreement you made with the hougyoku? You did agree that if you could not seduce Byakuya into carrying the hougyoku-child, that you would._

Aizen scowled inwardly.

_I have not forgotten._

"Sousuke Aizen...?" Byakuya queried, "Did you hear me?"

Aizen gave him an odd look, then sighed and let the door open. Byakuya looked back at him in surprise.

"What is wrong?" asked Aizen, "You want to save your family? Go ahead. But when you have ensured their safety and you return here, I expect you and I will discuss and decide on our strategy together. We must move carefully. We have many enemies and we do not want to lose the small advantage we have with them not being certain of our fate."

Byakuya caught his breath softly as Kyouka Suigetsu's power wrapped around him. He frowned and looked back at Aizen uncertainly.

"What is it?" asked the former captain, "You requested the assistance of my zanpakutou in protecting your family as they go into hiding, and I have granted the request. Is there a problem? I asked only for us to discuss strategy when you return. I didn't require anything of you."

"Exactly," said the noble, "At what moment did you decide that I had suddenly become stupid, Sousuke Aizen? You would not have missed a chance to back me into a corner on allowing you to impregnate me unless there was something in that for you. I am not naive enough to expect that you did it out of the goodness of your heart...or for concern for the safety of my family, many of whom you have endangered, even killed in your past exploits."

"Yes, then you would _know _I was lying, ne?" said Aizen, smirking, "But in all honesty, I think that the safety of your family should be the first priority, because if we do not make it that, I will not have any chance of maintaining your attention, let alone convincing you to allow me to impregnate you with the hougyoku.

"You aren't very likely to convince me anyway. I think you know that. So, why are you helping me?"

Aizen gave him a placating smile.

"Why don't you go and see to your family, Byakuya. I will be here when you return."

Byakuya's lips tightened suspiciously, but he finally sighed and shook his head, then exited the library under Kyouka Suigetsu's protection.

Aizen watched the noble leave, then walked back to the bed and laid down, his mind pondering his new freedom.

_I had resigned myself to sitting in that cell, bound and forgotten until my sentence had elapsed. But to my distress, I was not forgotten. How many times did my cell door open and those guards came and loosed their wickedness on me? I have manipulated, betrayed and killed, but it has all been to find the justice that I was denied. The ones who attacked me were not ones who had been directly hurt by actions, but opportunists, who saw a powerful man made vulnerable to them and they took advantage. They said the just sounding words...pretending that they were simply the hand of justice meting out what I deserved. But it wasn't justice, nor righteousness in their eyes, nor in the hands that held me down as they violated my body. They were primal animals, preying on the weakened. It resembled in my mind how the councilors who felt threatened by my potential, ordered me killed as a child...cold, calculated...but based on the primal instinct to do whatever it takes to improve one's chances of survival._

_And the fact is...that being the raw emotion behind what was done to me, added to the scope of the corruption in Central 46, I can only conclude that the corruption goes much higher...as far as the royal court, perhaps as far as the king. That being the case, Byakuya is in for a rude awakening. Yes, I am afraid that what he has suffered so far is only the beginning. And when the full reality of this strikes him, it will be a crushing blow. And of course, I will be the only one for him to turn to, at that point._

_But what will I do when that happens?_

He left the thought hanging and relaxed on the bed, closing his eyes and connecting his mind with his zanpakutou's awareness, so that he could monitor Byakuya's actions. And true to his word, the man carefully made contact with just the elders of the clan, and with his sister and vice captain, then started on his way back to the archive. He climbed out of the bed and prepared two cups of hot green tea, finishing as the noble opened the door to the archive and passed inside. Aizen looked up as he entered the recess, then approached him, smiling and handing him a cup of tea. He smirked as the noble examined the hot drink for a moment, then took a sip.

"What's wrong?" Aizen laughed softly, "Did you think I had poisoned it?"

"No," said the noble, "But I wouldn't put it past you to slip in something to assist you in overcoming my objections about lying down with you and making babies."

"Ah, that," said Aizen, shaking his head, "But such a thing would likely not work on one who had endured Yoruichi Shihoin's 'training' as a child, ne?"

Byakuya turned away for a moment to hide the blush that rose at the other man's words.

"I admit, she did see that I made myself able to detect poisons and malevolent ingredients in my food and drink. Ginrei considered it an important skill for a clan leader to possess."

"And I am sure that cat woman had a marvelous time 'instructing' you," Aizen said, smirking.

"But on to more important things," said the noble, changing the subject abruptly, "I need to rest and consider what to do next. My next moves are critical. I have to give the subfamilies time to reach their places of concealment, then...I need to decide on how best to address what happened at Central 46. I dare not approach the remaining council of that place, now that the corrupt ones have gained control..."

"Which means that you must reach the royal court or perhaps seek an audience with the king. But you will have to reveal yourself in the crossing over into the spirit dimension."

"I have an idea about that," said the noble, "but we will speak of that later. I am...weary."

"Come then and lie down," Aizen said, following him to the bed and watching as he undressed down to his white yukata, then climbed into the bad and slipped down beneath the blankets. Aizen followed him onto the bed and laid down next to him, then reaching over to turn off the light.

Byakuya turned away from Aizen, his heart aching with worry over the departing subfamilies.

_But Kyouka Suigetsu has promised to safeguard them as they make their escape. Then, once they are gone..._

_What will I do?_

_How far up in the hierarchy does this corruption go? The royal court? The king, himself? And if so, what may have befallen my grandfather, who serves in the royal guard and on the king's council?_

_So many questions..._

He flinched in surprise and started to pull away as warm hands slipped the yukata down off his shoulders and began to rub his back.

"What are you doing?" he asked Aizen, uncertainly, "If you are trying to take advantage of me..."

"No," Aizen said quietly, "although I promise we will return to the discussion of the hougyoku's wishes at some point, we won't reach that point if you worry yourself to the point of sleeplessness, and then become unable to function. Whether you accept this or not Byakuya, you and I have only each other to turn to right now. I am merely doing what I can to ensure that you are cared for properly so that you can give your full attention to the steps you are taking."

"How kind of you," the noble said dryly.

"I am not a kind man," said Aizen, "and I think you know that. Taking care of each other is a necessity in times like these. Relax, I promise I won't molest you...this time."

"Hmmm," muttered the noble discontentedly.

But it was hard to hold on to his mistrust of the man, or to the hundreds of questions and problems that had been afflicting his mind as Aizen's warm hands returned to his back and began to work at the tense muscles.

"The hougyoku completed your healing," Aizen noted, "but there is still some residual tension in the affected areas."

Byakuya moaned softly in relief as the other man's fingers worked at the places where the tension remained, slowly teasing and soothing each area until the muscles finally relaxed, and each small relaxation brought him closer and closer to sleep. He had intended to pull away before he drifted off entirely, but Aizen's words returned to him and made his heart shiver inside with the sad feeling of isolation.

_Taking care of each other is a necessity in times like these._

"You are tensing up again," Aizen said softly, "Relax."

Byakuya took a breath and let it out slowly, trying to allow the worrisome thoughts spill out of his mind, and to let his body relax into sleep. Aizen's voice whispered into his ear, but he lost track of the words as his mind drifted and finally allowed him to drop off.

Aizen paused, checking to make sure that he was fully asleep, then slipped the yukata the rest of the way off Byakuya's body. He gazed down at the noble's lovely, softly glowing form and then removed his own yukata.

It is too bad that I promised not to molest you," he sighed, "You are quite a temptation, Byakuya Kuchiki."

He laid down beside the noble and continued to run his hand lightly over the perfect, white flesh of his back, to run his fingers gently through the long strands of silken, black hair. He marveled at how Byakuya's expression softened when he slept, and the near constant frown he usually wore, faded into a more melting look of peacefulness and vulnerability. As much as he respected the noble's powers and abilities, he found this change in Byakuya highly attractive. Unable to resist, he lightly touched the noble's pink lips, caressed his cheek, then let his hand run down the long, white torso and over his sweet, round bottom. He caught his breath in surprise as Byakuya sighed prettily in his sleep and turned into Aizen's arms, sprawling across the other man's body, his soft warm member teasing Aizen's inner thigh, then coming to rest against the other man's heated and slightly leaking arousal.

"Oh...you tease," Aizen whispered, burying his nose in lovely sakura scented hair and smiling, "You're lucky I don't lose my will to resist and just stun and devour you right here and now."

He flinched and his heart quickened as Byakuya's head moved where it rested on his shoulder and the noble's soft lips and warm breath teased his nipple.

"You have no idea how much I would love to have that lovely mouth of yours wrapped around me, and that sweet tongue that so loves insulting me, instead, licking me into beautiful oblivion," Aizen whispered, brushing his lips against Byakuya's earlobe and making him shift provocatively, "O-oh...you _wicked, wicked _little tease! Do you have any idea how dangerous a man you are taunting? A few more little moves like that and you'll have me undone, Bya, dear. But go ahead. Just remember, I won't be responsible for what happens when you do..."

He chuckled softly, catching his breath as Byakuya moved again, then he wrapped his arms around the sleeping noble and closed his eyes.

_Oh...I could definitely get used to this..._

_This...and much more._

XXXXXXXXXX

_Byakuya found himself back in Central 46, before the explosion, lost in the twists and turns of Muken, and already knowing what was about to happen. He ran through the corridors blindly, searching endlessly for the lifts or stairways, but somehow all of them had disappeared, and he was left running and searching endlessly as the end neared. He felt the rumble of a huge explosion and the ceiling opened up above him...and chillingly, not debris, but bodies rained down around him. Bodies of the slain Kuchiki councilors, bodies of the Kuchiki elders, and the men, women and children of the Kuchiki subfamilies._

_"No!" he gasped, "Why? Why are you doing this? Why?"_

_He searched the fallen men, women and children for signs of life, but found none. The continued rain of falling bodies forced him further and further down the narrow corridor and grew so intense that he began to be buried alive beneath him. He opened his mouth to cry out, but went silent as a hand took hold of his and pulled him free of the fallen bodies of his relatives._

_"Who are you? Where are you taking me?" he cried._

_The hand felt familiar and the voice was one he knew, but could not place. He tried to look at the man's face, but the corridor was too dark. They ran, hand in hand, passing into a tunnel as the rumble of explosions continued._

_"I have to go before the royal council!" he told the other, "I have to inform them of what has happened to my family! The king needs to know that the noble families are under attack!"_

_All at once, he found that the hand holding his had let go. He looked around and discovered that he now stood in the center of the court of the high royal council, in the spirit dimension._

_"Lord Kuchiki," said a deep voice, "You may speak."_

_Byakuya froze._

_"Lord Kuchiki?"_

_"But you are not..."_

_"You requested the attention of the royal council, did you not? Tell us why you have come, Lord Byakuya."_

_He looked around the room, but found that the eyes of all of the high court's councilors had gone red, and the face that looked down from the king's seat was the monstrous face of a spirit demon!_

Byakuya sat up suddenly, sucking in a choked breath then expelling it in a chilling, terrified scream. Shock numbed his body and tears filled his still senseless eyes as Aizen came awake and sat up next to him, immediately curling his arms around the frantic noble. He inhaled sharply in surprise as Byakuya made another panicked sound and loosed a shock of kido, which he barely managed to block as he was forced off the bed and away from the noble.

"Byakuya!"

Aizen gazed raptly into Byakuya's wide, tear-filled eyes as the noble loosed a blast of red fire that forced him back against the bedroom door. He saw the noble gathering himself to attack again and flash stepped forward, bounding onto the bed and grabbing him tightly, placing a hasty seal on his powers and speaking to him soothingly.

"It's all right," he assured the shaken and still senseless noble, "It was just a dream. Byakuya, you were just dreaming. Wake up. You were just dreaming."

Byakuya loosened his clenching hands and buried his face in Aizen's shoulder, resting there, panting softly as he caught his breath. Aizen's fingers sank into the noble's sweat dampened hair and his hand trailed down Byakuya's bare back. Gradually, the noble calmed and collected himself. But he remained rested against the other man's shoulder, his eyes still glazy and his expression troubled.

"Would you like me to make you some tea?" Aizen asked quietly, "You seem quite rattled."

Byakuya started to reply, but registered suddenly the fact that the two of them were naked. The noble's wide gray eyes went deadly and his voice lowered into a deep, furious tone.

"Sousuke Aizen...why in kami's name are the two of us sitting here _NAKED!_"

"Ah," smiled the other man, "I removed your yukata while I was rubbing your back to relax you."

"And you removed yours...?"

"For better mobility," Aizen said, smirking.

"YOU!" Byakuya hissed, shoving him away and trying to summon his power.

Noting his powers had been sealed away, he struck at the other man, sending the two tumbling off of the bed and onto the floor. He struck at Aizen repeatedly, snapping out insults with every blow.

"How DARE you undress me and put your hands on me while I am sleeping, you perverted MISCREANT! How dare you! Don't you EVER touch me or my clothes without permission, do you hear me, AIZEN?"

He paused suddenly, registering wetness in the small of his back and touched the area questioningly, his eyes going black with rage as he realized what exactly was there.

"YOU...? You...!" he shouted.

"Ah," Aizen said with surprising calm, "Yes, I think that happened while we were asleep. Sorry about that, Bya, dear. But how can you blame me, being all curled up with that luscious body of yours wrapped so snugly in my arms and that pretty, blushing bottom of yours teasing me so naughtily!"

"My bottom shouldn't have been anywhere near your..."

He paused, blushing furiously.

"The word is 'cock,'" Aizen supplied.

"You keep that torrid, evil THING away from me!"

"That's going to be _hard_, erm...difficult, under the circumstances. We are sharing a bed here."

"There is a second recess in the back of the archive. You can sleep there. Get out of here! I don't want you anywhere near me! Do you hear me?"

Aizen's hand wrapped around the noble's slender wrist as Byakuya struck at him again, and he pushed the noble back against the wall, pinning him in place and glaring into his eyes.

"Byakuya Kuchiki," he said, losing all signs of frivolity, "Do you really think that after what you saw those men do to me in the prison, that I would then force myself on the person who stopped them from assaulting me? Do you think that I would forget who helped me to get free of the ruins of that place and gave me a place of safety, so that we could regroup and come to terms with what has happened? _Really_, Byakuya?"

Byakuya held his penetrating gaze for a moment, remembering the violence that he had witnessed, then he looked away.

"Well...what am I supposed to think when I wake up to find myself naked and with your body wrapped around mine and your..."

He stopped and swallowed hard, blushing and unable to say the word.

"I get the picture," Aizen said, regaining his smirk, "And I assure you, the next time I give you a massage, I will ask before I undress you. And when I seduce you and indulge in that lovely body of yours, it will be completely...or at least grudgingly consensual. Now..."

He released the seal on the noble's powers and gave his pouting lips an affectionate peck.

"Why don't you climb back in bed? I will make some tea and you can tell me what had you so riled that you woke up screaming."

Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head briefly.

"I...don't remember. I don't want to remember. It was about Central 46, and the royal council. I likely was living out my fears over what is happening."

"I'll make that tea," Aizen said, starting to rise.

"No," said the noble, "I am...too tired. I will just go back to bed. I will be fine."

He rose and wrapped his yukata around his slender body, then started towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Aizen asked.

"To sleep in the other recess," Byakuya said, not looking back.

He paused as the door closed in front of him and Aizen's hand touched his shoulder.

"Oh, I don't think I can allow that," he said, smiling, "Come back to bed, Byakuya. I won't annoy you anymore tonight."

"But you make no promises about tomorrow, ne?" said the exhausted and piqued noble.

"You know me so well, Bya, darling," Aizen whispered, his tone gaining a wicked edge.

"Much too well," Byakuya agreed, turning back and settling in the bed.

Aizen watched as he laid down, then sat down on the edge of the bed and touched Byakuya's face lightly. The noble's eyes widened for a moment, but he said nothing.

"Close your eyes," Aizen told him, "I am only going to offer you a dreamless sleep for the rest of the night."

"Very well," said the noble, darkly, "Just do not _offer_ me anything else, once I have fallen asleep."

"Of course not," agreed the other man, leaning over him.

A whispered word to Kyouka Suigetsu made Byakuya's eyes close and his body relax completely. Aizen sighed and bent to touch his lips to the noble's, then he crawled back into bed and curled around him again.

_Sleep well tonight._

_I have a feeling that your nightmares are only just beginning, Byakuya._


	8. Fall of Honor The Bloodletting

**Chapter 8: Fall of Honor (The Bloodletting)**

_I located Rukia and Renji with Ichigo and Yamada Hanatarou in Renji's quarters at the sixth division, _Byakuya wrote into his clan leader journal.

His mind drifted back to the moment and he felt again the warmth that their reactions had stirred in him.

_He sensed that Renji was within his quarters and felt the presence of others, and tapped softly on the door._

_"Abarai?" he queried, "It is me. Open the door."_

_He heard hushed voices, then Renji's step, and the door opened a crack._

_"Oh..." Renji gasped, "Oh...gods, C-captain! Are you...?"_

_"I am all right, Renji. I was injured in the explosion and collapse of the prison, and it took time for me to free myself."_

_"Brother!" Rukia exclaimed, bursting from behind a dresser, "Brother, I am so glad you are all right!"_

_She slid to a stop, just short of him and gazed up at him adoringly._

_"I am glad you are all right as well," he said quietly, "From within the prison, I could not be certain that what happened was not part of a larger assault on Soul Society."_

_"Yeah," agreed Ichigo, coming out from behind the bed, "That place was a mess!" Byakuya stared at the group as Hanatarou crawled out from under the bed and stood quietly near the others._

_"You four went to the prison?" Byakuya asked, his voice filled with concern._

_"Y-yeah, Captain," Renji admitted, lowering his eyes, "We...ah...we sneaked inside...to look for you."_

_Byakuya's eyes widened._

_"What? Renji, you allowed my sister to...?"_

_"Renji didn't 'allow' me," insisted Rukia, "I wouldn't let anyone stop me. Don't blame Renji. He and Ichigo and Hanatarou all came with me to protect me, and because we were all worried when Central 46 refused to allow anyone to go in to rescue survivors."_

_"And, when you did not find me there?" Byakuya prompted them._

_"We sensed that you had been there, Brother," said Rukia._

_"And we found the tunnel you used to escape," said Ichigo._

_"But...then you...came here and concealed yourselves," Byakuya noted, "which means that you...know, don't you?"_

_"About the coverup inside the prison?" asked Renji, "Yeah. We saw guards killing, not just prisoners who had survived, but councilors. Captain...something really bad is happening."_

_"You are correct," Byakuya confirmed._

_He turned to Rukia and handed her a slip of paper and a golden token._

_"I have begun a mass evacuation of the Kuchiki subfamilies, as I was able to ascertain that we are the target of a mass assassination, which has been planned carefully by a group that has now seized control of Central 46. I want all of you to assist in the evacuation, then I want you to return secretly to Kuchiki Manor and meet me in the archive. I must warn you, though. Do not show yourselves publicly, not even to report to the Captain Commander. Help the subfamilies in the evacuation, then locate my cousin, Tetsuya. He has use of waterforms that can be used to conceal you as you return. I am going to need your assistance in this."_

_He turned his gaze on Hanatarou._

_"I am afraid I cannot allow you to simply return to your unit as you are now a part of this. And besides, we will need a field healer as we move forward in this. This is a complicated situation...highly volatile. We must be very cautious."_

_"Hai, Captain Kuchiki," said Hanatarou, bowing, "Just let me know what I can do."_

_"Report with them to the clan and take care of anyone who may, for some reason be ill or injured. There are some elder clan members, new mothers and others who will require care during the evacuation. See that you assist the clan healers and then return to Kuchiki Manor with the others."_

_He glanced and Renji, Rukia and Ichigo and bowed his head slightly._

_"Arigatou," he said quietly, "Although I am less than pleased at you risking yourselves on my behalf, I am deeply grateful. Go now, quietly. I will see you upon your return."_

Byakuya sighed and set his brush down, then rubbed his hands over his face, before simply setting his elbows on the desk and burying his face in his hands. He flinched as warm, strong hands suddenly found his tensed shoulders and began to massage them. He lifted his head out of his hands and glanced at Sousuke Aizen, then relaxed into the man's soothing hands, not saying anything and only giving him a soft glare of warning as the man bared the noble's shoulders and continued the massage of his neck, shoulders and back.

"The hougyoku was very thorough in healing you," Aizen commented, "Are you in any pain?"

"No," Byakuya answered softly.

_Not physical pain, anyway..._

But you are worried about something, ne?" asked Aizen.

"I am worried about many things," Byakuya sighed, "Primarily, I wonder what to do next. I have secretly evacuated Kuchiki Manor and all of the residences of the subfamilies. With your Kyouka Suigetsu's assistance, I was able to leave the illusion of the clan conducting itself as usual. The subfamilies still appear to be in their houses, the council of elders will appear to meet as usual this morning..."

He broke of mid-sentence, staring oddly.

"Byakuya?" Aizen said, watching a chill look of surprise and horror bloom on the noble's lovely face, "Byakuya, what...?"

_Master,_ Kyouka Suigetsu whispered in Aizen's mind, _He had me provide him with a means of monitoring the areas where we left the illusions of his clan operating. He is seeing an attack taking place in the Kuchiki Council Hall, and in the residences where we left our illusions. Simply put, my illusions are being slaughtered!_

Aizen's eyes widened and fury burned inside him as Kyouka Suigetsu opened his mind and shared the violent mass assassination that was being carried out. And even knowing that it was a mere set of carefully placed illusions being destroyed, the playing out, even in falsity set Aizen's heart pounding at the implications.

_I was right that this goes much higher than just Central 46..._

He looked at the carefully cloaked and hooded assassins, trying to gain a sense of who they were. But try as he might, he could not get a read on their reiatsu.

_It doesn't feel like shinigamis, hollows, or humans...but, who then?_

He noticed then, Byakuya's tensed and sweating body, the intense, devastated look in his solemn eyes, and how he froze as a 'dying' clansman illusion tore one of their hoods away. Byakuya's eyes rounded like saucers, his expression haunted, and his breath leaving him in a stunned gasp. And the word that escaped him, sent a hard shiver down even the immortal Aizen's usually undeterred spine.

"_Demons_! Spirit demons in the Seireitei?"

"That cannot be!" objected Aizen, staring at the noble in shock, "There has never been such a thing..."

"There was once," Byakuya corrected him, "In the time of my ancestor, Hajime Kuchiki. Demons...a threat to the king and noble families. And if the Kuchiki family is being brought down, that means that..."

He turned suddenly, flash stepping out of the room and heading for the back of the archive.

"Byakuya!" Aizen called after him, following, "Byakuya, where are you going?"

The noble didn't answer, but appeared to be heading for a large, golden door at the very back of the archive.

_What...is that?_ Aizen wondered, frowning.

Byakuya reached the golden door and passed through. Aizen reached it a moment later and realized quickly that it did not open for him.

"Byakuya!"

_He is going into the spirit dimension,_ Kyouka Suigetsu whispered in his mind, _Senbonzakura told me that Kuchiki clan members can pass through this doorway and go into the spirit dimension. You cannot follow, but as you gifted him with your life force, thereby allowing him a connection to me, I can connect with him and allow him to use my powers to protect himself. I feel great evil around him, Master. Something horrid may befall him in that place._

Aizen placed his hands on the golden door and sighed softly.

"Byakuya," he breathed.

_You make sure that no matter what happens, he returns alive. Do you understand?_

_I understand._

XXXXXXXXXX

_How can this be happening?_

_And how far up does it go?_

_Could it be that...?_

Byakuya's breath caught as he felt Kyouka Suigetsu's presence in his mind and felt the zanpakutou's power wrap around him protectively.

_I am with you, _the spirit said in his mind.

_We...are with you,_ Senbonzakura added.

_Kyouka Suigetsu, you were able to accompany me as well?_

_The life force my master shared with you made me able to sense and assist you while you are in the spirit realm. He cannot pass through, as he is a shinigami. But spirits associated with approved nobles can still work within their masters._

Byakuya's lips curved upward slightly.

_So...perhaps receiving the gift of that devilish man's life force may work in my favor now. Arigatou, Kyouka Suigetsu...and you as well, Senbonzakura._

Byakuya's heart eased somewhat at the knowledge that he had the support of Aizen's zanpakutou.

_But, _he wondered, _don't you have to use your shikai first to hypnotize the ones..._

_Yes,_ the spirit answered, _This is not a problem Watch._

They came upon a guard station and Byakuya followed Kyouka Suigetsu's directive to conceal himself. He watched as the zanpakutou spirit manifested.

"Shatter," he breathed, bringing the guards under his control.

He looked back at Byakuya as the noble emerged from hiding.

"When we arrive in the royal council hall, I will bring them under my hypnosis in that way," the spirit said, nodding.

"Come then," Byakuya said, turning, "We must hurry!"

He moved more carefully now, accessing the system of hidden hallways used by the palace servants. Servants who appeared, quickly fell under Kyouka Suigetsu's power and 'forgot' seeing them. He made his way to a room outside the royal council's main gathering chamber and paused as Kyouka Suigetsu manifested again.

"I can get you past the guards, but with transcendent levels in that room, it will be a few minutes before I have all of them fooled. Be cautious," he warned the noble.

"I will," Byakuya replied, nodding.

He watched as Kyouka Suigetsu left the room, then returned a few moments later and waved him on. Byakuya slipped out into the hallway and past the chamber guards. He paused at the large doors and listened to the dull, normal sounding conversation within that seemed to evince no knowledge of what was occurring in the Seireitei.

_Odd that with the importance his majesty places on the noble houses, that he wouldn't have immediately sensed the attacks on our family and council of elders..._

_Something is very wrong with this..._

He passed through the doors and watched as the king and gathered councilors looked up, and their voices fell silent. Byakuya walked forward slowly, feeling malevolent eyes and reiatsu all around him.

_Demons here as well, but...which are demons and which are not? _

_I cannot tell._

"Lord Byakuya," the high councilor said, standing and glaring down at him, "I am surprised to see you here. Word came from the Seireitei that you were killed in the attack on Central 46."

"That report was mistaken," said Byakuya, "And...I will add that today's attempt to mass slaughter the entire Kuchiki clan has failed."

"What?" asked the king, turning his handsome, golden eyes on the noble, "But..."

"So...you do know of the attempted massacre," Byakuya said, placing a hand on his sword, "One would not have known that, hearing the sedate conversation taking place here before my entrance...which leads me to one conclusion. The attacks on Central 46 and my clan were no mistake. They were carefully planned. And...some number of the people in this room were involved."

The king's eyes blinked slowly.

"But you do not know who here is a friend or an enemy, ne?" he said softly, "Well, let me assist you."

A flash of light blinded the ones in the room, and when Byakuya could see again, his blood froze in his veins. Like the horrific scene from his dream, the king's and high councilor's faces had morphed into something monstrous. A large number of councilors as well, wore devilish faces. The demon-king smiled down at him, observing the shocked faces and loud objections of the uncorrupted councilors. Byakuya felt a chill at not seeing his grandfather anywhere in the room.

"As you can see," said the Demon-king, "My associates and I have infiltrated this place and slaughtered the king and royal family. We meant to eradicate your family as well, as they have proven to be incorruptible...unlike many of the others, and they are powerful enough to challenge us and bring a new king to the throne. I must admit. You are a crafty man to have survived and to have somehow thwarted what we thought was a complete success. But...you were foolish in coming here...and coming here alone."

He nodded to the gathered demons.

"Kill him. Kill him and all of these others here. Then find where he has hidden the other clan members and _annihilate_ them!"

_Run, Byakuya_! Kyouka Suigetsu warned him, _You must escape!_

_I cannot leave them!_ the noble objected as the demons began to attack the uncorrupted councilors, _They will be..._

_Do you not understand? You are the only one in the spirit dimension that they do not control in some way. But you cannot defeat them this way. You must return to the archive and gather what powerful persons might help you overcome him._

Byakuya's eyes narrowed, as his sword rose to block the claws of an attacking demon.

_You mean Sousuke, don't you?_

_Think about it, Byakuya. This plan has obviously taken hundreds of years to plan. It happened slowly, so as to not be detected. This is why my master was targeted as a child. It was these, using operatives within the Central 46 council to keep strong shinigamis from developing._

_But why wait until now to slaughter my clan? _Byakuya queried, _Why leave us until now?_

_Perhaps it took time for them to position themselves and they needed to keep others from being suspicious while they worked. And having positioned themselves, they are taking the Kuchiki clan down in a pre-emptive move before attacking the seireitei. We must go back and warn them! Now that this has happened, they will declare open war! Byakuya!_

Byakuya turned in surprise as the doors to the chamber were thrown open and Ginrei Kuchiki rushed in with a group of royal guardsmen.

"Grandfather!" cried Byakuya, reeling as a pair of sharp claws slashed across his back.

Ginrei moved at blinding speed, attacking the demon that had cut his grandson, while another guardsman grabbed Byakuya's arm and shoved him towards the doors.

"Go back to the Seireitei!" he cried, "We will fight them here, but if you do not warn them, then Soul Society is going to fall. He removed a small vial from his shihakushou and forced the liquid into Byakuya's mouth.

"This will hold off the encroachment of the demon who attacked you, but you must warn your healer to eradicate the demon reiatsu before healing you, or you will become one of them. I would heal you, myself, but there is no choice. The only way into Soul Society that hasn't been closed is your archive entrance. Go now. Go and warn them!"

Byakuya's shattered eyes took in the horrific sight of the bloody battle raging within the council chambers. He watched as his grandfather slashed at one demon, then turned as the Demon-king launched himself at his back.

"Go!" yelled the guardsman, flash stepping away, "Run, Byakuya Kuchiki! You are the only hope the Seireitei has of putting up any defense!"

Byakuya met his grandfather's eyes for a moment, then turned and flash stepped away. Voices and pounding feet followed as he abandoned stealth and put all of his energy into escaping. Kyouka Suigetsu rose up in his mind, promising help, and within moments, several of the pursuers began attacking each other.

_Arigatou, Kyouka Suigetsu..._

_Just get to the doorway quickly. The high councilor is right behind us, and he is too strong a demon for us to defend against right now!_

Byakuya saw the golden door appear ahead of him and poured the last of his strength into reaching it. The demon that had been the high councilor bounded forward, impaling the noble from the back as he passed through. Byakuya came down in the quiet environs of the Kuchiki family archive and stood, facing a surprised Sousuke Aizen.

Aizen took in the horrific sight of the badly injured noble and breathed his name softly.

Then blood exploded from Byakuya's body and he sank to the floor.

"Byakuya!"

Byakuya took something from his pocket and shoved it into Aizen's hand. Looking down, he saw it was a golden token.

"Byakuya..."

"Sousuke...d-demons have slain the...royal family...and...c-control the royal council. Th-they will attack the Seireitei now. Go to the Captain Commander and warn him. Warn him now...or Soul Society is doomed!"

Aizen gazed down at Byakuya's bloodied face and devastated eyes and shook his head gently.

"I will send word to the Captain Commander immediately," he said quietly, "But I will also take you to someone who can heal you. Can you open a family senkaimon from here?

"Go and inform...the Cap..."

A jolt of reiatsu from Aizen's hands sent the noble spinning into unconsciousness. As his consciousness faded, Byakuya managed a soft warning.

"T-tell the healer. D-demon reiatsu must be...removed before I c-can be...healed."

Aizen lifted Byakuya and carried his blood drenched body to the archive door, invoking the token to pass through. But as he reached the doorway, five shinigamis appeared in front of him.

Tetsuya Kuchiki.

Renji Abarai.

Ichigo Kurosaki.

Rukia Kuchiki.

Yamada Hanatarou.

Tetsuya Kuchiki stepped in front of the others, sliding his sword from its sheath and stopping Rukia, who screamed her brother's name and started to approach Aizen.

"Sousuke Aizen," the noble said in a low, dangerous voice, "_What have you done to my cousin_?"


	9. Wicked Forces

**Chapter 9: Wicked Temptations**

"Tetsuya Kuchiki," Aizen said calmly, "Byakuya's right hand within the Kuchiki clan...protector and enforcer, If I remember correctly."

"So I am," Tetsuya said sternly, blue light beginning to glow around his zanpakutou, "Now, set my cousin down and step away, or I will attack."

"I will hand Byakuya over to you, but before I do, you must listen to me. I am not responsible for his injuries," Aizen began.

"The hell you're not!" snapped Renji, drawing his sword and taking a position alongside the young noble, "We all know the kind of disrespect you show to the noble families, who make up the bulk of the Central 46 council! We remember that very well. So, if you value your life, then put him down!"

"Tetsuya Kuchiki," Aizen said, more stridently, "There is no time to argue. I know that you can feel the decline of Byakuya's reiatsu. And you will feel something else if you wait much longer. He was attacked by a spirit demon."

Tetsuya's eyes widened, and the hand that held Re-kuhime tightened. As if to punctuate Aizen's words, Byakuya's eyes blinked open, and the others gasped softly in distress at the odd, red glow beneath the steely gray of his eyes.

"Open a doorway into Karakura Town immediately!" insisted the former captain, "We need to reach Orihime quickly if we are to stop him, not just from dying, but from the encroachment of the reiatsu of the demon who attacked him!"

"How do we know this isn't one of your illusions?" Rukia asked savagely.

"She is right," agreed Ichigo, "We can feel that the seal that bound you has been broken."

"It has," affirmed Aizen, "And it was Byakuya, himself, who freed me so that I could act to stop the slaughter of his clan. I know that he came to you and told you of the corruption within Central 46. But what we found upon arriving here was that the corruption extends into the spirit realm, where powerful demons have killed the royal family and seized control."

"Kami!" breathed Tetsuya, staring in disbelief, "This cannot be!"

"After sending the clan elders and subfamilies into hiding, Byakuya returned to me here and he sensed that demons were attacking illusions of the elders and family members that we left behind. He realized then that what was going on had to go beyond Central 46, so he immediately went into the spirit dimension to learn more. Just before your arrival, Byakuya arrived through the archive doorway, injured as you see him. Look at the claw markings. You can feel the disturbed reiatsu within his wounds. It is slowly claiming his life and turning him into one of them. We need to eradicate the demon's reiatsu if we are to heal him."

"B-but," said Hanatarou, "The only healer I know if who is strong enough to do that is Captain Unohana, herself!"

"We cannot risk taking him to the fourth division now that the demons have become aware he knows of them. Remember, they are trying to destroy the heart of the Kuchiki clan. They are going to attack the Seireitei, and they wanted to gain control of Central 46 and to destroy the Kuchiki clan to pave the way. Yamada Hanatarou, you must report to the first division to sound the alarm! Tetsuya Kuchiki, I will give Byakuya over to you, but please first open a family senkaimon so that we can reach Orihime!"

Tetsuya's eyes blazed, but he gazed at Byakuya for a moment, then nodded and sheathed his weapon. He stepped forward as Ichigo, Renji and Rukia watched, and Hanatarou flash stepped away. At the young noble's command, a doorway began to open. Aizen sighed in relief as it did, and carefully set Byakuya in Tetsuya's arms.

"Come quickly now," he told the others, "Things will swiftly deteriorate within the Seireitei."

The group hurried into the precipice world, leaving the quiet environs of the archive behind.

"Just so you know," Renji said to his former captain, "Just because we have accepted, for the moment that you didn't attack him, doesn't mean we trust you. We don't plan on forgetting who you are, Sousuke Aizen!"

"Nor do I expect you to," Aizen answered, leading them on, "I accept that you will not trust me, but I think we need to set aside our differences and save full explanations until after Byakuya's life is out of danger. Byakuya took action before the destruction of Central 46 to stop some of the guards who were attacking me within my cell. Then, after the blast, he assisted me in finding the way out, and then gave me the token to enter the Kuchiki archive."

Tetsuya nodded briefly.

"The entry token is necessary for anyone not of the clan, and is ascribed to only the one or ones who he permits to enter. He gave a token to Rukia to assist Hanatarou, Renji and Ichigo in entering the archive. But even had the token fallen into enemy hands, it could not be used by them. It is identity specific...which adds credence to your story, as even your Kyouka Suigetsu cannot have overcome the protections on our family's archive."

"I wonder, with war breaking out in the Seireitei," said Rukia, "...if it was really a good idea to take my brother from the archive."

"But it doesn't look like we had time to bring Orihime back," said Renji, "Look at his eyes. They're getting darker, and his reiatsu is darkening too."

"Orihime will be able to reject it," Aizen said firmly, "We only need reach her before the demon reiatsu steals him away completely."

The group fell quiet as they stepped down into the living world, emerging just short of Orihime's apartment, in a small park.

"I'll go and inform Kisuke and Yoruichi about what's happening," offered Ichigo.

"We will need to go into hiding until Byakuya is through this," said Aizen, "We need to have time to formulate a strategy for dealing with what is happening in the spirit dimension."

"I will tell him!"

The others hurried to the apartment building and up the stairs, arriving at Orihime's door and knocking urgently. And although she evinced a moment of shock at seeing, not only the injured Byakuya in Tetsuya's arms, but Aizen Sousuke, she quickly ushered them inside and knelt beside Byakuya, releasing her powers before even asking any questions.

"Be certain that you reject the malevolent reiatsu within him before you begin the healing," Aizen warned her.

"Th-this wasn't done by hollows, was it?" she asked, sounding as though she knew the answer already.

"No," Aizen confirmed quietly, "Byakuya was attacked by demons of the spirit dimension.

"Why?" the girl asked, studying Byakuya's pained features with sad eyes.

Aizen looked up at Orihime, Renji, Rukia and Tetsuya.

"Rukia and Renji are aware," he said, blinking slowly, "They were inside Central 46 after the explosion."

He glanced at the two in acknowledgement.

"I know this because when Byakuya came to you and you told him this, he was being protected by Kyouka Suigetsu, so I could monitor what he saw, heard and experienced."

He paused, turning his eyes to look down at the unconscious noble.

"Just before the bombs went off, Byakuya passed near my cell and stopped, because he heard the sounds of guards attacking me as I laid bound and unable to fight back in my cell. Most men, knowing who I am would likely have merely walked on, but Byakuya could not allow such a thing and burst into my cell. He intimidated the guards, and was preparing to leave, when we heard and felt several explosions, and debris began to rain down on us as parts of the prison failed and collapsed. Again, although he needn't have done so, Byakuya quickly freed me and protected me from the destruction...a reflex, he said. When things settled, we began to look for a way out, but most of the ways out had been either sabotaged before the attack, or destroyed during. Amidst our search for a way out, we discovered...bodies of councilors...not killed in the blast, but executed. We found others who had previously been reported dead or missing, incarcerated in the lowest levels illegally."

"We saw guards after the explosion," Renji added solemnly, "We saw them killing, not just fleeing prisoners, but councilors. We knew right away that something fishy was going on."

"We were still trying to escape the prison, when injuries that Byakuya had sustained in the explosion, and that I could not heal because I was without my powers, began to overwhelm him. Knowing that he was dying and desperate to protect the Kuchiki clan from whatever plot was afoot, Byakuya gave me a token so that I could enter his family's archive. He died moments after...but...before he did, he released the seal on my powers and asked me to protect his clan on his behalf."

"M-my brother...?" Rukia began.

"He died," Aizen affirmed, "He stopped breathing and showed no signs of life. However, the hougyoku, which was still sealed away, spoke to me and said that if I would free it, that it would help me by saving Byakuya's life. I broke the seal and it healed Byakuya, as it had promised."

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Renji, "So that thing is..."

"Freed," Aizen said quietly, "I understand the distress this causes you. However, you can be reassured that as Byakuya did assist me by stopping the guards that were tormenting me, I will not harm him, nor allow harm to come to him. I will not harm any member of his clan, nor allow them to be harmed. So...as long as none of you attack or try to imprison me, I will not harm any of you."

"Well," said Renji, dryly, "With all due respect? That doesn't really reassure me very much."

"No, I imagine it does not," Aizen agreed.

"But," said Tetsuya, meeting Aizen's eyes calmly, "The fact that he allowed you into the archive with him is an indication that he trusted you to some extent. It does not mean that we will forget what you have done, but it does mean we will attempt to keep an open mind. Just...be warned. We will be watching you closely...and if you do anything to..."

"I have no reason to attack you," Aizen said, shaking his head, "Just do not give me one, and you will come to no harm from me."

"But what are your plans?" Rukia demanded, "How do we know you're not using my brother to try to get to the spirit king?"

"Did you not hear me before?" Aizen said, looking into their eyes, "Demons have slain the royal family. The spirit king is dead."

"You want to repeat that for me?" said Kisuke Urahara's voice from the doorway, "because you can't have just said what I think you did."

He entered the apartment, followed by Ichigo, Chad, Uryu and Yoruichi.

Aizen met Kisuke's intense eyes and nodded.

"It is what Byakuya told me," he said solemnly, "I have no reason to believe he is mistaken. And that means an attack on Soul Society is imminent. And while they attack, they will be searching for the Kuchiki subfamilies and elders that Byakuya sent into hiding, as well as trying to find and kill him. I sent Yamada Hanatarou to warn the captain commander of the impending attack, but demons have already broken into the Seireitei and tried to murder the Kuchiki elders and subfamilies. They want to break the back of the strongest clan so as to have no powerful resistance."

"Nice," muttered the shopkeeper, shaking his head, "But don't think that this gets you a free pass, Aizen. I know what a bastard you are, and I am not going to let you get away with anything."

"What would I try?" asked Aizen, "I may have the hougyoku unsealed, but remember that it has rejected me as its master. It honors those of my desires which also benefit it, in some way, but I do not control it anymore."

"All the more reason for all of us to keep our guard up," said the shopkeeper.

"As though doing so would help you, if indeed I wanted to attack you. So do not trust me. Instead, just do not interfere with me, and I will not interfere with you."

"I think we have enough problems as it is without compounding them," said Yoruichi, shaking her head, "If what you said before is true, and the king has been killed, then the three worlds are on a course for destruction. Things will fall apart very quickly."

"The king is the one that holds the three worlds together," said Kisuke, "If we are going to have any chance to hold things together, we need to get into the spirit dimension."

"Byakuya used his family archive entrance," Aizen remembered, "But it only allowed him through...not me."

"Only the Kuchiki clan leader may pass freely into the spirit dimension," explained Tetsuya, "but with his permission, family members and other clan leaders may pass through as well."

"So, Byakuya, Tetsuya, Rukia and I have a way in," said Yoruichi, "But judging by the beating that Byakuya took, I think we're going to need more than the four of us."

"We will deal with that later," said Kisuke, "For now, we need to focus on strategy. I would say that, at this point, we have a day, maybe two to get Little Byakuya on his feet again and work up some kind of plan for getting into the spirit dimension and stopping this disaster. As soon as Orihime finishes stabilizing him, we'll all go to a safehouse, where we can monitor what's happening in Soul Society and make some kind of plan."

He nodded to Aizen.

"So you have a reprieve as far as any of us trying to interfere with you. You're not a threat as long as you have no way into the spirit dimension...which, lets face it...you don't."

"Not at present," Aizen said dryly.

"Great," Kisuke muttered, sounding less than pleased, "Looks like we have ourselves a grudging alliance...for the moment."

"For the moment," Aizen agreed, smirking.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke leaned over Byakuya, studying the readout of a small device he held over the noble's sweaty, tremoring body. He frowned and shook his head, then sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Yoruichi, "I thought that before we brought Byakuya to the safehouse, you said he had stabilized. He doesn't look so good right now."

"Well," said the shopkeeper, "He isn't dying or turning into a demon, so he's okay on those counts. But even though Orihime was able to eradicate the demon reiatsu, it left some residual echoes and flutters in his system. His reiatsu is in fits. I'm concerned he might go haywire here and blow our cover. We don't want him being sensed. Obviously, we'd have more demons breathing down our throats. So we have to keep his reiatsu from flaring too brightly."

"I don't imagine a reiatsu cage will even be enough to stifle it, ne?" asked Aizen, frowning.

"No," said the shopkeeper, shaking his head, "Because...well, here's what's happening. The demon reiatsu that was in his body was forcing his systems to shift towards becoming a spirit demon, which, as you know, is a transcendent being. And even though that reiatsu is gone now, and not pressuring his, Byakuya's reiatsu is in a chaotic state and has to calm. But it will have flares that touch transcendent levels, and not even a reiatsu cage can hide that. I am not sure what can."

"I may be able to help with that," suggested Aizen, "If we can gain the assistance of the hougyoku, it is able to hide transcendent level reiatsu. It did this to assist me as I laid my plans. However, I will need four captain level shinigamis...'pillars' at the four corners to anchor the seal on the nullifying structure. Byakuya and I will be within the structure, but no others as Byakuya's power flares could be quite violent."

"You are not being left alone with my cousin," Tetsuya said warningly, "I will risk being within with you...and do not expect me to back down on this. I won't."

Aizen sighed unhappily.

"You may come to regret that decision, Tetsuya Kuchiki," Aizen replied, "However, as a gesture of cooperation, I will not object to your being there, if you wish to take the risk. I will be completely focused on holding down Byakuya's reiatsu. You will have to manage, yourself."

"I understand," said the noble.

"Okay," said Kisuke, "It looks like we'll have Yoruichi, Ichigo, Renji and me as the 'pillars.' Aizen and Tetsuya will be inside with Byakuya, holding his reiatsu down, and the rest of you will take turns on guard duty around the safehouse. Any questions?"

He noted the silence and nodded.

"All right, then, let's get started."

"You four take up positions at the true north, south, east and west," Aizen directed them, "You will face inward and will be able to see and hear what is happening within. Do not move from your positions or divert any power to us, nor take any. You are the barrier that will conceal us as we bring Byakuya's reiatsu under control."

Tetsuya and Aizen knelt on opposite sides of Byakuya's resting form as the others positioned themselves, then all eyes focused on the former captain of the fifth division. Aizen rose and walked to each of the four pillars, calling on the power of the hougyoku as he moved about, touching each lightly and speaking the incantation. He frowned after a moment, realizing that something was wrong.

_What are you doing? _he asked the hougyoku.

_I am not going to help you, _the spirit said, matter-of-factly, _You have not delivered on your promise to give me life. Either you will seduce Byakuya Kuchiki into acting as the vessel or you must offer your own body to complete the task._

_I have not forgotten, nor abandoned our bargain, _Aizen replied, his reiatsu darkening, _but you threaten to undo us to the point where you will never be brought to life._

The hougyoku sparked fitfully in his chest.

_I am not going to do your bidding, only to have you turn your back on me in the end, as you did with your colleagues, Gin and Tousen, and in the very end with your own zanpakutou!_

_Perhaps a compromise, then,_ Aizen suggested, _You assist me with the pillars and I will hold Byakuya's reiatsu in check, myself._

_You cannot hold back transcendent reiatsu on your own! _the hougyoku objected, _But try, if you wish. I will let you handle it and only interfere if it looks like you cannot manage. But do not expect me to be so magnanimous in the future, Sousuke Aizen. You forget that I know you. I will let this go so far, and then I will..._

_Do not threaten me, _Aizen warned the spirit, _If you turn on me, I will find the way to destroy you. Then, you will never know life. Play your cards carefully now. Do not be too brash or you may lose everything._

The hougyoku laughed softly in his mind.

_Take your own advice, shinigami. You are as vulnerable to me as I am to you._

_Yes, _agreed Aizen, _This is a cold war. But if we cooperate, we can both have what we want. Now...set the pillars and I will manage Byakuya's reiatsu._

He smirked at the hougyoku's disgruntled flutters as its power flooded the pillars, concealing the reiatsu of the ones inside. He noticed the younger noble's intense sapphire eyes observing him closely as he knelt again at Byakuya's side.

"Is there a problem?" he asked softly.

"No," Aizen said shortly, "Now, focus your energy on keeping Byakuya's reiatsu from going out of control. That will be our singular focus. If he goes out of control, you and Byakuya will be swallowed up in the resultant explosion of reiatsu. I will survive because of the hougyoku."

"Is that so?" Tetsuya asked, holding his gaze steadily, "because you said that it is no longer in acceptance of you as its master. Can it not, then, abandon you to possess another?"

"It would only do that if there was another, more powerful being to possess," Aizen answered, leaning forward and joining his power with Tetsuya's.

"I see," answered the younger man, bowing his head slightly and increasing the flow of his reiatsu around his unconscious cousin, "But...if Byakuya's power goes out of control, in that the reason is that transcendent level power flares are affecting him, could the hougyoku not simply invade his body instead and force it into actual transcendence...as the demons have primed it to be able to accept the additional power?"

"It is a danger, perhaps," Aizen said, looking into Tetsuya's eyes, "So...if you sense that the hougyoku is attempting it, we must combine our power to keep it from entering his body."

Tetsuya thought for a moment.

"There may be something that I can do that will assist you in amplifying your power, and will enable me to guard against the hougyoku entering my cousin's body. It is an altered interpretation of a healing power that my zanpakutou allows me."

He laid a palm on his sheathed weapon and focused deeply.

"Mizu no shouheki, Re-kuhime," he breathed.

Aizen watched in wonder as the younger man's body began to glow the same bright sapphire color as his eyes. The light grew nearly blinding, and as he stared, Tetsuya's body slowly lost its definition and flowed down to wrap around Byakuya's body in the form of a dark blue shield.

_Mizu no shouheki,_ Tetsuya's voice whispered into his mind, _allows me to sacrifice my body to become a shield that both amplifies power I allow entrance and repels malevolent forces. Coupled with my cousin's will to resist, and your own will to keep the hougyoku within your body, this will ensure that the hougyoku does not choose this moment to abandon you._

Aizen nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Tetsuya."

_I am not doing this for you. My life belongs to my cousin, and I will die before I see him poisoned with that thing._

"You had best be prepared to follow through on that," Aizen whispered darkly, "I do not know exactly what will happen when Byakuya's reiatsu begins to flare."

The two fell quiet then, each focused deeply on the rising swell of Byakuya's errant reiatsu as it slowly coalesced around him and began to burn.

_Shades! _Tetsuya's voice hissed in Aizen's mind.

"Steel yourself, Tetsuya Kuchiki," Aizen whispered aloud, "This is where it begins."


End file.
